NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2781

Senate Bill S2781

2019-2020 Legislative Session

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

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities 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 08, 2020	referred to cities
Jan 29, 2019	referred to cities

2019-S2781 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Cities
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 2019-2020 Legislative Session:: S2781, S6305

2019-S2781 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2019-S2781 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2781

SPONSOR: LANZA
 
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 19516 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 beforehand. 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:

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

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2019-S2781 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2781
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 29, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
 
 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 197 of the  city
 of New York for the year 2018, 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 and to  the  enforce-
 ment  of  such  prohibitions  and  to  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 passen-
 gers  by  motor  vehicle not subject to licensure as a taxicab, for-hire
 vehicle, or wheelchair accessible van and not operating as an authorized
 bus line pursuant to applicable provisions  of  law  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.
                                                            LBD07204-02-9

 S. 2781                             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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