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| WNYC |
The City Council is considering three bills that would remake the commuter van industry, officials said during a hearing on Thursday.
The vans often work in transit-starved areas in Brooklyn and Queens. Some work legally, others illegally. Many connect immigrant communities via routes that are quicker and cheaper than taking the subway.
"Commuter vans provide true affordable transportation to New Yorkers, mostly in the outer boroughs, but also in Manhattan," said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi during the hearing.
"This is especially true in neighborhoods that have less access to public transit, where commuter vans allow passengers to share rides at minimal costs -- as little as two dollars."
For instance, vans connect riders between Manhattan's Chinatown and Flushing in 35 minutes, when it would be a 70-minute subway ride, she said.
Almost 600 vans are working legally in the city.
The proposed City Council legislation includes a study of safety issues in the industry that would suspend new licenses until the analysis was complete -- such as data on safety violations and illegal vans.
Other bills would let vans operate on routes rather than just do prearranged trips, and raise the civil penalties on vans not licensed by the city.
6 comments:
Why the hell not, especially with uber and it's bastard progeny (how are those scooter cabs doing?) servicing the stupid frivolous spending neo-citizens and neo-tourists. And the freewheeling style of legislating that is making all this nonsense possible.
Bring Back Queens Surface
queeens surface is a job where bus drivers got paid to jerk off all day. MTA has huge disciplinary problems with ex queens surface drivers. myra burke owned queens surface was a fat lazy pig who can care less about buses.
Wasn't Jerry Cooper the guy who owned Green Bus Lines?
im his ghost, he passed away a while ago
deport the unlicensed rude illegal immigrants who have no respect for our laws.
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