TLC Commissioner Paul Bader raises fiscal concerns about pedicab transfer
Paul Bader, TLC Commissioner representing Queens, says the pedicab industry is like the wild west and needs controls regardless of regulator. He warns TLC's budget was cut by about 64 enforcement officers and asks whether $73 million set aside for a rejected decertification law could be reapportioned if TLC takes on pedicabs.
Thank you.
Go ahead, sir.
Thank you.
Good afternoon.
My name is Paul Bader.
I'm the TLC Commission representing Queens County, and I welcome this opportunity to speak about some of these pieces of proposed legislation.
The one that is most important I'm not going to address, which is whether or not it should be transferred to us.
I do know that the pedicab industry right now operating out there is like the wild, wild west, and certainly there needs to be controls put on them regardless.
regardless of who the administrative and overseeing regulatory body is.
My concern, though, relative to the transference to the TLC is a fiscal one.
We have had our budget cut substantially in the last fiscal year, which represented a decline in about 64 police officers who work for the TLC that does enforcement.
So, therefore, to ask us to additionally take on a new responsibility, which we understand is all about enforcement, because, parenthetically, let me say that the people I've spoken to, police
officers who represent and have worked in Midtown North, and this is a regulatory issue that they would rather not get involved with.
So that's another reason why it's wild out there as it needs to be.
So all of these issues to control that, putting prices on, making the licenses more visible, of course, is part of it.
But the financial one is my concern, but I have also been aware of the fact, I understand that they're separated, is that there was a substantial amount of money put aside over five years, and about $73 million put aside
to this bureau that you oversee relative to the implementation and enforcement of a proposed law relative to the decertification of...
That was being done by taxi drivers, by Lyft, and by Uber, and that law was turned down.
The courts, it was challenged by Uber.
The city lost.
And so, therefore, that law, unfortunately, which I was a big supporter of, did not go into effect.
But we are hoping that a version of that does.
But the question is that there was money put aside in the budget of $73 million over five years for the enforcement of that.
So I would like to ask if it's possible for some of that money, if this change occurs, that some of that money be reapportioned to the TLC so that we can do whatever job would need to be done relative to regulation.
Thank you.