After decades of letting taxi and black-car drivers operate with practically no rules on how many hours they can work behind the wheel, the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission plans to finally crack down on fatigue driving.
The TLC is proposing new rules that would prohibit hacks from picking up passengers for more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period and more than 72 hours in any seven-day period. Drivers also would have to take an eight-hour break after working 12 hours.
Still, those who go over on their shifts are subject to a fine of just $25.
But the agency noted in November that it has never once sanctioned a hack for breaking the rule in the 26 years that it has been on the books.
“To minimize the risk of a crash, drivers must be alert, which requires rest,” said TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi. “But these crashes are preventable with a reasonable limit on the hours during which a driver can pick up passengers.”
The agency’s current rules forbid yellow and green cabbies from working more than 12 hours, but the clock restarts as soon as a driver takes a break, even a slight one.
That means a driver could work for 12 hours, take a 5-minute break and then hit the road for another 12.
The TLC currently sets no limit at all for Uber drivers, and similar black-car services.
The TLC board will vote on the proposal on June 23.