S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4105--A
 
                        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 -- committee discharged, bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 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
 
   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.
                                                            LBD06261-02-5
 S. 4105--A                          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 PROGRAM, IN WHICH COMMUTER VANS
 DULY LICENSED BY THE COMMISSION TO CARRY PASSENGERS FOR HIRE ARE AUTHOR-
 IZED TO ACCEPT HAILS FROM PROSPECTIVE PASSENGERS IN THE STREETS  OF  THE
 CITY  OF NEW YORK WITHIN MANHATTAN COMMUNITY DISTRICT TWO, QUEENS COMMU-
 NITY DISTRICT TWELVE, BROOKLYN COMMUNITY DISTRICT FIVE, BROOKLYN  COMMU-
 NITY DISTRICT NINE, BROOKLYN COMMUNITY DISTRICT SIXTEEN, BROOKLYN COMMU-
 NITY  DISTRICT  SEVENTEEN,  AND  BROOKLYN  COMMUNITY  DISTRICT  EIGHTEEN
 PROVIDED THAT SUCH AUTHORIZATION SHALL PROHIBIT THE PICK UP  OF  PASSEN-
 GERS  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-EIGHT  AND  ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER,  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
 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.