Our green economy is the future of New York City’s workforce, but the new Green Rides rule could hurt rideshare drivers. Mayor Adams and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) recently passed the Green Rides rule which now officially requires all Uber, Lyft and other rideshare vehicles to be electric vehicles (EV) by 2030.
These steps, while understandable from an environmental point of view, will hurt working class rideshare drivers and may lead to even more congestion in the city. This administration is not doing nearly enough to provide charging infrastructure nor are they providing any incentives or programs to help rideshare drivers purchase electric vehicles.
Let’s talk about drivers first. Driving a rideshare vehicle is a tough job — it often requires 10 or more hours a day of driving across the five boroughs. A huge share of the 100,000-or so TLC-licensed rideshare drivers are first-generation Americans.
Rideshare driving provides a tremendous opportunity for working class and immigrant communities to have financial stability and upward economic mobility for themselves and their families. The rideshare sector is not only a major source of employment for hard-working people, but it is also a key part of our city’s economy, transit systems, and is a necessity for all New Yorkers.
While this green initiative is great for the environment, the green that’s missing is money. Electric vehicles are an expensive purchase for drivers. Even if drivers can earn higher fares for an EV-ride, there is still a significant concern that drivers would not be able to afford to own electric vehicles in the first place, nor survive the competition.
Then there is the problem of charging stations. As of right now, there are nowhere near enough chargers to support electric vehicles on the road today — especially in the neighborhoods where most of our 100,000 rideshare drivers live. As of now, New York City has only two-dozen or so fast public chargers for the 12,500 EVs on the road. While the city plans to build up to 13 new fast charging stations, only one will be located in the Bronx even though that is where a large portion of our drivers are living.
How are 13 new stations supposed to serve all the added volume when it takes more than a half hour and often longer to get a sufficient charge on a vehicle? Drivers would have to wait in long lines, clogging streets and taking available cars off the road just to be able to charge their cars and start their shift. All of that lost time would result in losses in pay, which is something drivers cannot afford.
Lack of access to charging infrastructure will result in a number of inconveniences and expenses, and only make it harder to find a rideshare.
If we continue at the pace we are at now, all our city will have to show for our EV transition is a bunch of battery-dead cars, a lot of drivers making less than they do today, longer wait times for riders — and more congestion. These concerns were voiced by many drivers from all across the city in September’s City Council hearing with TLC. The city chose not to listen.
In order for New York to successfully shift to electric vehicles, the mayor and the TLC must create a robust roll-out plan that takes into account the costs and infrastructure needs of rideshare drivers successfully operating and owning electric vehicles. Such planning needs to include more recharging stations in all five boroughs and incentives for rideshare drivers so they can buy electric vehicles affordably.
New York is already the most expensive city to hire a rideshare vehicle — we cannot keep making it more costly. After all, most of the people who use rideshare here are New Yorkers who just want to get home, get to work and enjoy all our city has to offer. Rideshare has become an essential part of so many New Yorkers day to day lives, we cannot let this initiative make this transit option inaccessible.
New York should never give up its global leadership in the fight against climate change and reducing carbon emissions from the vehicles on our streets, however, hard-working New Yorkers cannot be left behind. We grow increasingly concerned that our mayor is pushing a rule through without proactively setting up infrastructure and incentives that supports our workers.
As much as we want and need to use electric vehicles, we have to make sure drivers have the charge and the financial incentives they need to use them successfully.
Farías is a City Council member from the Bronx. De La Cruz is a Bronx-based Buggy rideshare driver.
Amanda Farías, Angelis De La Cruz
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