File #: Int 1346-2025    Version: Name: Requiring the department of transportation to study the commuter van industry.
Type: Introduction Status: Laid Over in Committee
Committee: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
On agenda: 8/14/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of transportation to study the commuter van industry
Sponsors: Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Nantasha M. Williams, Mercedes Narcisse, Chris Banks, Farah N. Louis, Yusef Salaam
Council Member Sponsors: 6
Summary: This bill would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to study the licensed and unlicensed vans that make up New York City’s commuter van industry. DOT would be required to study the service areas and ridership of commuter vans, survey commuter van passengers about their use of commuter vans and other forms of transportation, including public transit, and report on areas where commuter vans interfere with buses, pedestrians, and delivery zones. DOT would be required to complete this study by July 1, 2027 and every four years thereafter. The DOT commissioner may discontinue the study after October 1, 2039, if the commissioner determines that future studies are no longer necessary.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1346-A, 2. Summary of Int. No. 1346, 3. Int. No. 1346, 4. August 14, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 5. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 8-14-25, 6. Committee Report 9/15/25, 7. Hearing Testimony 9/15/25, 8. Hearing Transcript 9/15/25, 9. Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council, 10. Fiscal Impact Statement - OMB, 11. Proposed Int. No. 1346-A - 11/18/25
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
9/15/2025*Selvena N. Brooks-Powers Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
9/15/2025*Selvena N. Brooks-Powers Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/14/2025*Selvena N. Brooks-Powers City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/14/2025*Selvena N. Brooks-Powers City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Proposed Int. No. 1346-A

 

By Council Members Brooks-Powers, Williams, Narcisse, Banks, Louis and Salaam

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of transportation to study the commuter van industry

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Subchapter 2 of chapter 1 of title 19 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 19-175.9 to read as follows:

§ 19-175.9 Commuter van industry study. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Commuter van. The term “commuter van” has the same meaning as set forth in section 19-502. 

Commuter van industry. The term “commuter van industry” means all commuter van services licensed pursuant to chapter 5 of this title, and all vehicles being operated as commuter van services without commuter van licenses as required by chapter 5 of this title.

Commuter van service. The term “commuter van service” has the same meaning as set forth in section 19-502.

b. No later than July 1, 2027, and no later than July 1 every 4 years thereafter, the department shall complete a study regarding the commuter van industry in the city. As part of such study, the department shall:

1. Estimate the number of vehicles operating in the commuter van industry, disaggregated by licensed commuter vans and unlicensed vehicles operating as commuter van services;

2. Estimate the total daily number of passengers of the commuter van industry;

3. Evaluate the operations of the commuter van industry in areas of the city served by the commuter van industry, including routes, ridership, service and stop frequency, the number of daily trips conducted by the commuter van industry in any such area, and the number of vehicles operated in the commuter van industry in any such area;

4. Provide a map of commuter van stops designated by the department;

5. Identify any area of the city where the commuter van industry impacts: 

(a) The use of street infrastructure, such as travel lanes, bus lanes, bus stops, delivery zones, and crosswalks, by vehicles; and

(b) The use of streets by pedestrians;

6. Identify locations where additional commuter van stops would likely improve efficiency or safety for other street uses;

7. Conduct surveys of commuter van passengers and operators regarding ridership patterns and modes of transit other than commuter vans that passengers of the commuter van industry utilize;

8. Assess strategies for enforcement of laws and rules applicable to commuter vans to promote compliance with such laws and rules; and

9. Assess any other aspect of the commuter van industry that the department deems relevant.

c. No later than 60 days after the completion of each study required pursuant to subdivision b of this section, the department shall post on the department’s website and submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report on the findings of such study.

d. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, the commissioner may discontinue the study required by this section on or after October 1, 2039, provided that the commissioner determines that such a study is not necessary to improve the condition of the commuter van industry. The commissioner shall inform the speaker of the council in writing of such determination and the reasons for such determination.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

MLL/MC

LS #18775

11/17/2025 10:19PM