Fernando Mateo Testifies at TLC Hearing on Behalf of Livery Drivers
- nysftd2024
- Mar 30, 2004
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 2
March 30, 2004
At a public hearing of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers (NYSFTD), spoke on behalf of thousands of livery drivers. His testimony pushed for fair treatment, stronger protections, and greater inclusivity in the city’s taxi and livery industry.
Background / Incident
By 2004, livery drivers had endured years of violence, robberies, and unsafe working conditions. While past reforms — including partitions, cameras, and undercover NYPD operations — had saved lives, Mateo made clear that much more needed to be done to ensure fairness and safety for drivers outside of Manhattan’s medallion system.
Community Response / Leadership Reaction
Mateo urged the Commission to extend key rules and benefits to livery drivers, not just yellow cab medallion holders:
“We also would like to see some of the rules and regulations that you are imposing on yellow cab drivers, to also impose on other industry drivers like livery drivers. … Sometimes I believe that this Commission forgets about the millions of people that live in the outer boroughs that also ride cabs. They may not be yellow cabs, but they are livery cabs.”
He praised the idea of clear partitions as a safety innovation and pushed for them to be installed in livery cabs as well:
“The clear partitions — Commissioner, that was a brilliant, excellent idea — should also be imposed. … Inner city people deserve the same treatment that tourists and wealthy people from midtown Manhattan are currently getting.”
Mateo also demanded broader access to the industry for immigrant drivers, calling the English-only hack license exam discriminatory:
“Right now I think that giving the test solely in English is wrong because it excludes a whole group of people. They should speak English because they need to communicate with the passenger, but I don’t think they need to read or write college-level papers in order to pass an exam.”
Finally, he reaffirmed NYSFTD’s commitment to economic fairness:
“I believe that the lease cap should be reconsidered and that the 50 cent night charge is a must. We have fought for that and we will continue to fight for that.”
Broader Context
Mateo’s testimony highlighted the gap between yellow cab drivers in Manhattan and livery drivers in the outer boroughs. By demanding equal safety measures, inclusive licensing policies, and fair economic treatment, the NYSFTD positioned itself as both a safety advocate and a voice for immigrant drivers striving for the American Dream.
This official testimony, preserved in the TLC record, marked another milestone in the Federation’s ongoing fight for recognition and justice in New York’s transportation industry.
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