NY State Senate Bill 2021-S5320

Senate Bill S5320

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Allows commuter vans to accept hails from prospective passengers in the street; and repeals certain provisions of law relating thereto

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities 1 Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to cities 1
Mar 02, 2021	referred to cities 1

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2021-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9731
Current Committee:: Senate Cities 1
Law Section:: New York City Administrative Code
Laws Affected:: Amd §§19-502, 19-504 & 19-516, rpld §19-516 sub b, NYC Ad Cd
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S6621, A7948
2019-2020: S2781, S6305, A6735
2023-2024: S6781, A2653

2021-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows commuter vans to accept hails from prospective passengers in the street.

2021-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S5320

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in
relation to allowing commuter vans to accept hails from prospective
passengers in the street; and to repeal certain provisions of such law
relating thereto

 
PURPOSE:

To provide consumers additional methods of transportation.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends subdivision p of § 19-502 of the adminis-
trative code of the city of New York to alter the definition of commuter
van by removing the provision which prohibits accepting hails from
prospective passengers in the street.

Section two of the bill amends paragraph one of subdivision a of §
19-504 of the administrative code of the city of New York to add commu-
ter vans as vehicles that are authorized to accept hails from passengers
in the street.

Section three of the bill amends the section heading and subdivision a
of § 19-516 of the administrative code of the city of New York to make
technical changes.

Section four of the bill repeals subdivision b of § 19-516 of the admin-
istrative code of the city of New York to eliminate the provision that
limits commuter vans to providing transportation services only to
passengers who contact them through the telephone or through some other
pre-arranged method. This section also repeals the associated violation
relating to this subdivision.

Section five of the bill provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Commuter vans provide a service to many individuals throughout New York
State. Whether it is helping transport people to the airport, to work,
or to an event, commuter vans offer a service which gets people to a
location in a safe manner. However, potential passengers are limited in
how they can utilize the commuter van service. Currently, commuter vans
are not permitted to accept hails from prospective passengers in the
street and consumers can Only make use of the service if they have made
arrangements with the company to employ the service before-and. Elimi-
nating the pre-arrangement element will legitimize how  commuter vans
operate along the roads and will provide additional methods of transpor-
tation to passengers resulting in constituents getting to their desig-
nated places faster and safer.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-2020: S.6305/A.6735 - Referred to Cities

2017-2018: A.7948/S.6621 - Referred to Cities / Cities
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2021-S5320 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5320
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 2, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1
 
 AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
   relation  to  allowing  commuter vans to accept hails from prospective
   passengers in the street; and to repeal certain provisions of such law
   relating thereto
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivision p of section 19-502 of the administrative code
 of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 37 of  the  city
 of New York for the year 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   p. "Commuter van" means a commuter van service having a seating capac-
 ity  of  at least nine passengers but not more than twenty passengers or
 such greater capacity as the commission may establish by rule and carry-
 ing passengers for hire in the city duly licensed as a commuter  van  by
 the  commission  [and  not  permitted  to  accept hails from prospective
 passengers in the street]. For purposes of the provisions of this  chap-
 ter  relating  to  prohibitions against the operation of an unauthorized
 commuter van service or an unlicensed commuter van, the  enforcement  of
 such prohibitions and the imposition of penalties for violations of such
 prohibitions  and  to  the  seizure and forfeiture of commuter vans, the
 term shall also include any common carrier of passengers by motor  vehi-
 cle  not  subject to licensure as a taxicab, for-hire vehicle, or wheel-
 chair accessible van and not operating as a public or private bus trans-
 it service operated pursuant to a contract with  the  city,  any  county
 within  the  state of New York, the state of New York or any other state
 or local government that follows the applicable  procurement  rules  and
 regulations  of  such jurisdiction regardless of the seating capacity of
 any such vehicle. The commission shall submit to the council the text of
 any proposed rule relating to the maximum capacity of commuter  vans  at
 the time such proposed rule is published in the City Record.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD05474-01-1

 S. 5320                             2
 
   § 2. Paragraph 1 of subdivision a of section 19-504 of the administra-
 tive code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 115 of
 the city of New York for the year 1993, is amended to read as follows:
   (1)  A  taxi-cab,  coach,  wheelchair  accessible van, commuter van or
 for-hire vehicle shall operate within the city of New York only  if  the
 owner  shall  first  have obtained from the commission a taxicab, coach,
 wheelchair accessible van, commuter van or for-hire vehicle license  for
 such  vehicle  and  only while such license is in full force and effect.
 Vehicle licenses shall be issued for a term of not  less  than  one  nor
 more  than  two  years  and  shall  expire  on the date set forth on the
 license unless sooner suspended or revoked by the commission.  No  motor
 vehicle  other  than  a  duly  licensed taxicab OR COMMUTER VAN shall be
 permitted to accept hails from passengers in the street. No commuter van
 shall be operated within the city of New York unless it is  operated  as
 part of a current, valid authorization to operate a commuter van service
 duly issued by the commission pursuant to section 19-504.2 of this chap-
 ter.
   §  3.  The  section heading and subdivision a of section 19-516 of the
 administrative code of the city of New  York,  the  section  heading  as
 amended  by  local  law  number 115 of the city of New York for the year
 1993 and subdivision a as amended by chapter 9 of the laws of 2012,  are
 amended to read as follows:
   Acceptance  of  passengers  by  for-hire vehicles [and commuter vans].
 [a.] For-hire vehicles that do not possess  a  valid  HAIL  license  may
 accept passengers only on the basis of telephone contract or prearrange-
 ment. The commission or successor agency may establish such disciplinary
 actions  as  it deems appropriate for failure to abide by the provisions
 of this chapter.
   § 4. Subdivision b of section 19-516 of the administrative code of the
 city of New York is REPEALED.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.

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