The licensing commission withdrew permission from a startup to operate 55 modified Tesla taxis. The agency’s solution is to buy combustion engines.
New York’s taxi regulations voted Tuesday not to issue new electric vehicle licenses. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is blocking the company Revel, which wanted to set up a ride-sharing service with electric vehicles.
In contrast to the competitors Uber and Lyft, the vehicles should be emission-free Teslas and the drivers should be paid according to tariff plus perks. This has met both the long-standing TLC demand for fair pay and the plans to bring more electric cars to the streets of New York. In fact, due to the second point, there has so far been an exception for ride sharing licenses for electric vehicles. As soon as the plans became public, the TLC announced that it would remove the special rule and scheduled the controversial hearing. The decision-making process suggests, however, that the Commission’s decision has nothing to do with the matter itself.
Pre-arranged game with senseless hearing
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Even the process earned some head shakes from those involved, because the commission published its decision before the vote and said in a general manner: We have decided not to issue licenses for electric vehicles anymore. The fact that the commissioners are actually only allowed to make their decision after the public hearing, which took place one day later, did not bother the body. The TLC replied succinctly that the notice was published in accordance with the city’s rules. Transit and legal experts told the New York PostThe hasty statement ensures that fewer New York citizens get involved in the hearing – after all, the result has already been determined.
TLC: Revel can buy gasoline and swap licenses
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In the end, this is how the commissioners acted. You would not have asked a single question, complains Revel CEO Frank Reig after the hearing, which lasted several hours. In addition, the panel members would have consulted “zero” before deciding on the end of the special rule. After the meeting, they said they would not allow another company to “flood our streets with additional cars.” Instead, Revel could buy 50 gasoline engines and exchange their licenses for the Teslas. Revel’s answer was that that was the very definition of distortion of competition. Reg suspects the TLC never intended to consider the objections. “They only cared about whipping through this vote on the day of the primary with as little control as possible,” Reig told the newspaper. He announced that he would take to the streets against the decision.
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