New York City’s 91%-immigrant workforce of 85,000 For-Hire Vehicle drivers are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Our work requires that we interact closely with strangers every day. Not only our physical health is at risk– as people stay inside to mitigate the spread of the virus, we are suddenly facing unemployment. Unfortunately, as independent contractors, we are excluded from unemployment benefits.

We are ready to do our part in the war against this public health crisis, but we can’t do it alone. We demand the following:

• Emergency Funds for drivers to cover household bills from the City of New York, State of New York, and Federal Government and payment for drivers to make home deliveries to the home-bound using sanitized vehicles during the crisis.
• 60-day postponement of all TLC fees and licensing requirements.
• 60-day forbearance from rental companies, auto financing companies, and TLC insurance companies (American Transit, Hereford, and others) with no late fees.
• Moratorium on deactivation of drivers by Uber and Lyft in this crisis.

Together we will defend our communities and defeat the Coronavirus. We are ready to do our part. We call on the government and private sector entities to join us in meeting the crisis.