New York City taxi drivers have at least until the end of the month before congestion pricing fees go into effect.
Taxi drivers as well as the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission were in lower Manhattan Thursday morning for a hearing scheduled on the temporary restraining order blocking congestion pricing fees. A judge decided to extend the temporary restraining order on those surcharges until the end of the month.
The fees were initially scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, but got delayed because of the lawsuit brought forth by taxi drivers and medallion owners who are saying this plan would cause them even more of a financial hardship.
Chanting “What do we want? Justice!,” drivers and members of the Taxi Worker Alliance gathered to rally outside the court hearing Thursday morning. They say the state’s congestion fee is a “suicide surcharge” — a reference to, they say, the drivers who have committed suicide because of the financial struggle for medallion owners competing with ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft.