Senate Bill S9358A

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to establishing a pilot program to evaluate the impact of commuter vans accepting street hails

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation 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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 01, 2026	print number 9358a
Jun 01, 2026	amend (t) and recommit to transportation
May 19, 2026	reported and committed to transportation
Mar 04, 2026	referred to cities 1

Votes

- May 19, 2026 - Cities 1 Committee Vote
  S9358A
  
  Aye
  
  7
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  
  0
  - - Cities 1 Committee Vote: May 19, 2026
      
      aye (7)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Bottcher
      
      Chan
      
      Cleare
      
      Lanza
      
      Persaud
      
      Salazar

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

co-Sponsors

2025-S9358 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10323
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: New York City Administrative Code
Laws Affected:: Amd §§19-502, 19-504 & 19-516, NYC Ad Cd

2025-S9358 - Summary

Directs the New York city taxi and limousine commission to establish a pilot program to evaluate the impact of commuter vans accepting street hails; authorizes commuter vans to accept hails from prospective passengers in the street in certain locations until June thirtieth, two thousand thirty; directs the New York city taxi and limousine commission to submit a report evaluating such pilot program to the mayor, the speaker of the council, the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, no later than February first, two thousand twenty-eight and annually thereafter until the completion of such pilot program.

2025-S9358 - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9358

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
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

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation authorizes duly licensed commuter vans in the City of
New York to accept street hails from prospective passengers, in addition
to providing service through telephone contract or other prearrangement.
The bill further requires the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to
evaluate and report on the impact of this authorization on safety and
operational efficiency.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision p of section 19-502 of the Administrative
Code of the City of New York to clarify the definition of "commuter van"

and conform language to the authorization allowing such vehicles to
accept street hails.

Section 2 amends section 19-504 to maintain the licensing requirement
for commuter vans while removing the prohibition against accepting
street hails.

Section 3 amends subdivision b of section 19-516 to expressly authorize
commuter vans to accept passengers via street hails in addition to tele-
phone contract or prearrangement.

Section 4 amends section 19-529.7 to require the TLC to include in its
reporting an evaluation of the impact of permitting commuter vans to
accept street hails on safety and the efficient operation of commuter
van services.

Section 5 provides for an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Commuter vans play a critical role in transporting residents in neigh-
borhoods underserved transit deserts by traditional yellow taxi service
and mass transit. For decades, commuter vans have operated in working-
class and transit-limited neighborhoods across Southeast Queens, the
Bronx, and parts of Brooklyn. The continue to provide flexible and
affordable transportation to residents traveling to employment centers,
transit hubs, and commercial corridors.

Unlike taxicabs, commuter vans are limited by statute to operating sole-
ly through prearranged service. This restriction does not reflect how
commuter van service functions in practice or how riders in transit
deserts access transportation. Requiring a "telephone contract or other
prearrangement" imposes an artificial barrier that reduces operational
efficiency, limits consumer convenience, and places commuter van opera-
tors at a competitive disadvantage relative to other licensed for-hire
transportation providers. Authorizing licensed commuter vans to accept
street hails modernizes the regulatory framework while preserving essen-
tial consumer protection.  Only vehicles duly licensed by the TLC, oper-
ating under valid commuter van service authorizations, may provide such
service. All existing safety, insurance, inspection, and enforcement
standards remain in full force and effect.

This legislation also ensures accountability by requiring the TLC to
evaluate the impact of this policy on safety and system efficiency.  By
mandating formal review and reporting, the bill provides data-driven
oversight and allows policymakers to assess operational outcomes. In
communities where public transportation options may require multiple
transfers or extended travel times, commuter vans provide direct routes
and responsive service. Allowing street hails aligns the law with the
practical realities of how riders seek transportation, improves access
to mobility, and supports small, locally owned transportation businesses
that employ New Yorkers. The bill is also a match to 939-2024 in the
city council.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S9358 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9358
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 4, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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
 
   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 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. For purposes of the provisions of this chapter
 relating to prohibitions against the operation of an unauthorized commu-
 ter van service or an unlicensed commuter van, the enforcement  of  such
 prohibitions  and  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 passengers by motor vehi-
 cle not subject to licensure as a taxicab, for-hire vehicle,  or  wheel-
 chair accessible van and not operating as a public or private bus trans-
 it  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.
   § 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
 for the year 1993, is amended to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14429-01-6

 S. 9358                             2
 
   (1)  A  [taxi-cab] TAXICAB, 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 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. Subdivision b of section 19-516 of the administrative code of the
 city of New York, as amended by local law number 6 for the year 2017, is
 amended to read as follows:
   b. [No commuter 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 commu-
 ter van, the commuter van service and the owner of  such  vehicle  shall
 also  be  liable for a violation of this subdivision] A COMMUTER VAN MAY
 ACCEPT HAILS FROM PASSENGERS IN THE  STREET  IN  ADDITION  TO  ACCEPTING
 PASSENGERS ON THE BASIS OF TELEPHONE CONTRACT OR OTHER PREARRANGEMENT.
   §  4. Subdivisions 11 and 12 of section 19-529.7 of the administrative
 code of the city of New York, as added by local law  number  7  for  the
 year 2017, are amended to read as follows:
   11. a discussion of how commuter van service areas are selected; [and]
   12.  whether,  in  the judgment of the commission, there is a need for
 commuter vans in a number exceeding the number specified in  subdivision
 r of section 19-504; AND
   13.  AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF AUTHORIZING COMMUTER VANS
 TO ACCEPT HAILS FROM PASSENGERS IN THE STREET ON THE SAFE AND  EFFICIENT
 OPERATION OF COMMUTER VAN SERVICES.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.

co-Sponsors

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10323
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: New York City Administrative Code
Laws Affected:: Amd §§19-502, 19-504 & 19-516, NYC Ad Cd

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9358A

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in
relation to establishing a pilot program to evaluate the impact of
commuter vans accepting hails from prospective passengers in the street

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation authorizes duly licensed commuter vans in the City of
New York to accept street hails from prospective passengers, in addition
to providing service through telephone contract or other prearrangement.
The bill further requires the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to
evaluate and report on the impact of this authorization on safety and
operational efficiency.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision p of section 19-502 of the Administrative
Code of the City of New York to clarify the definition of "commuter van"

and conform language to the authorization allowing such vehicles to
accept street hails.

Section 2 amends section 19-504 to maintain the licensing requirement
for commuter vans while removing the prohibition against accepting
street hails.

Section 3 amends subdivision b of section 19-516 to expressly authorize
commuter vans to accept passengers via street hails in addition to tele-
phone contract or prearrangement.

Section 4 amends section 19-529.7 to require the TLC to include in its
reporting an evaluation of the impact of permitting commuter vans to
accept street hails on safety and the efficient operation of commuter
van services.

Section 5 provides for an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Commuter vans play a critical role in transporting residents in neigh-
borhoods underserved transit deserts by traditional yellow taxi service
and mass transit. For decades, commuter vans have operated in working-
class and transit-limited neighborhoods across Southeast Queens, the
Bronx, and parts of Brooklyn. The continue to provide flexible and
affordable transportation to residents traveling to employment centers,
transit hubs, and commercial corridors.

Unlike taxicabs, commuter vans are limited by statute to operating sole-
ly through prearranged service. This restriction does not reflect how
commuter van service functions in practice or how riders in transit
deserts access transportation. Requiring a "telephone contract or other
prearrangement" imposes an artificial barrier that reduces operational
efficiency, limits consumer convenience, and places commuter van opera-
tors at a competitive disadvantage relative to other licensed for-hire
transportation providers. Authorizing licensed commuter vans to accept
street hails modernizes the regulatory framework while preserving essen-
tial consumer protection.  Only vehicles duly licensed by the TLC, oper-
ating under valid commuter van service authorizations, may provide such
service. All existing safety, insurance, inspection, and enforcement
standards remain in full force and effect.

This legislation also ensures accountability by requiring the TLC to
evaluate the impact of this policy on safety and system efficiency.  By
mandating formal review and reporting, the bill provides data-driven
oversight and allows policymakers to assess operational outcomes. In
communities where public transportation options may require multiple
transfers or extended travel times, commuter vans provide direct routes
and responsive service. Allowing street hails aligns the law with the
practical realities of how riders seek transportation, improves access
to mobility, and supports small, locally owned transportation businesses
that employ New Yorkers. The bill is also a match to 939-2024 in the
city council.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9358--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 4, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  COMRIE,  LANZA, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1
   -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Commit-
   tee on Transportation -- 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 establishing a pilot program to  evaluate  the  impact  of
   commuter  vans  accepting  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 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  SECTION  19-516  OF  THIS CHAPTER. For purposes of the provisions of
 this chapter relating to prohibitions against the operation of an  unau-
 thorized  commuter  van  service  or  an  unlicensed  commuter  van, the
 enforcement of such prohibitions and 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 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 procure-
 ment rules and regulations of such jurisdiction regardless of the  seat-
 ing  capacity  of  any  such vehicle. The commission shall submit to the
 council the text of any proposed rule relating to the  maximum  capacity
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD14429-03-6
 S. 9358--A                          2
 
 of commuter vans at the time such proposed rule is published in the City
 Record.
   § 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
 for the year 1993, is amended to read as follows:
   (1) A [taxi-cab] TAXICAB, 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
 AUTHORIZED  PURSUANT  TO SUBDIVISION C OF SECTION 19-516 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 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 THIRTY COMMUTER VANS DULY LICENSED  BY  THE  COMMISSION  TO
 CARRY  PASSENGERS  FOR HIRE ARE AUTHORIZED TO ACCEPT HAILS FROM PROSPEC-
 TIVE PASSENGERS IN THE STREETS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK  WITHIN  BROOKLYN
 COMMUNITY  DISTRICT  FIVE,  BROOKLYN  COMMUNITY  DISTRICT NINE, BROOKLYN
 COMMUNITY DISTRICT SIXTEEN, AND BROOKLYN COMMUNITY  DISTRICT  SEVENTEEN,
 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 TWEN-
 TY-EIGHT  AND  ANNUALLY  THEREAFTER  UNTIL  THE  COMPLETION OF THE PILOT
 PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT 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 COMMU-
 TER 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, 2030.

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Senate Bill S9358A

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

Votes

May 19, 2026 - Cities 1 Committee Vote

Cities 1 Committee Vote: May 19, 2026

Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2025-S9358 - Details

2025-S9358 - Summary

2025-S9358 - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9358 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Do you support this bill?

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Senate Bill S9358A

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

Votes

Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

Andrew J. Lanza

James Sanders Jr.

2025-S9358 - Details

2025-S9358 - Summary

2025-S9358 - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9358 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

Andrew J. Lanza

James Sanders Jr.

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9358A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments