S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4105
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 31, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. PARKER, BAILEY, CLEARE, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, JACKSON,
   LANZA, MYRIE, PALUMBO, PERSAUD, RAMOS, RHOADS, SANDERS, WEBB  --  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  providing  for  the  repeal  of  such
   provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   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 EXCEPT AS AUTHORIZED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION C
 OF THIS SECTION. For purposes of the provisions of this chapter relating
 to prohibitions against the operation of an  unauthorized  commuter  van
 service  or an unlicensed commuter van, the enforcement of such prohibi-
 tions and the imposition of penalties for violations  of  such  prohibi-
 tions and to the seizure and forfeiture of commuter vans, the term shall
 also  include  any  common  carrier  of  passengers by motor vehicle not
 subject to licensure as  a  taxicab,  for-hire  vehicle,  or  wheelchair
 accessible  van  and  not  operating  as a public or private bus transit
 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.
                                                            LBD06261-01-5
 S. 4105                             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 WHERE AUTHOR-
 IZED  PURSUANT  TO SUBDIVISION C OF SECTION 19-502 OF THIS CHAPTER 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 chapter.
   § 3. The section heading of section 19-516 of the administrative  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:
   Acceptance of passengers by for-hire vehicles [and commuter vans].
   § 4. Subdivision b of section 19-516 of the administrative code of the
 city of New York, as amended by local law number 6 of the  city  of  New
 York  for  the year 2017, is amended and a new subdivision c is added to
 read as follows:
   b. [No] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION C OF THIS SECTION, NO commu-
 ter van service and no person who owns, operates or  drives  a  commuter
 van,  shall provide, permit or authorize the provision of transportation
 service to a passenger unless such service to  a  passenger  is  on  the
 basis of a telephone contract or other prearrangement. Where a violation
 of  this  subdivision  has been committed by a driver of a commuter van,
 the commuter van service and the owner of such  vehicle  shall  also  be
 liable for a violation of this subdivision.
   C.  THE  COMMISSION  SHALL  ESTABLISH  A PILOT PROGRAM TO EVALUATE THE
 IMPACT OF COMMUTER VANS ACCEPTING STREET HAILS.  UNTIL  JUNE  THIRTIETH,
 TWO  THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT COMMUTER VANS DULY LICENSED BY THE COMMISSION
 TO CARRY PASSENGERS  FOR  HIRE  ARE  AUTHORIZED  TO  ACCEPT  HAILS  FROM
 PROSPECTIVE PASSENGERS IN THE  STREETS  OF  THE  CITY OF NEW YORK WITHIN
 QUEENS  COMMUNITY  DISTRICT  TWELVE,  BROOKLYN  COMMUNITY DISTRICT FIVE,
 BROOKLYN COMMUNITY DISTRICT NINE, BROOKLYN COMMUNITY  DISTRICT  SIXTEEN,
 AND  BROOKLYN  COMMUNITY DISTRICT SEVENTEEN, PROVIDED THAT SUCH AUTHORI-
 ZATION SHALL PROHIBIT THE PICK  UP  OF  PASSENGERS  BY  STREET  HAIL  AT
 AIRPORTS OR IN SUCH OTHER AREA AS THE COMMISSION SHALL BY RULE PROHIBIT.
 NO  LATER  THAN  FEBRUARY  FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN AND ANNUALLY
 THEREAFTER UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED  PURSU-
 ANT  TO  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  THE COMMISSION SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE
 MAYOR, SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL, GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF  THE
 SENATE,  AND  THE  SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, EVALUATING THE PILOT PROGRAM
 WITH AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF COMMUTER  VANS  ACCEPTING  HAILS  FROM
 PROSPECTIVE  PASSENGERS  IN  THE  STREETS AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
 COMMISSION REGARDING THE AUTHORIZATION OF COMMUTER VANS TO ACCEPT  HAILS
 FROM PROSPECTIVE PASSENGERS IN THE STREETS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
   §  5.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed June 30, 2028.