When Midori Valdivia stepped into her new role as commissioner of New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, it felt familiar.
A decade earlier, Valdivia worked at the agency. Now, she’s returning to lead it at a time when drivers are grappling with everything from declining medallion values to changing street designs and competition from rideshare apps.
What You Need To Know
New Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Midori Valdivia worked at TLC almost a decade ago and brings vast transportation experience
Valdivia said she has three top priorities: giving drivers a say in transportation policy, accountability and dignity
After confirmation, Valdivia put out a driver survey and embarked on a listening tour to hear what was most pressing to driver
“We’re talking about 180,000 drivers who contribute to New York’s economy, who raise children here, who love the city and really want to be ambassadors to this city,” said Valdivia.
Valdivia brings years of transportation experience to the role, including work at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Since being confirmed, she said she has focused on hearing directly from drivers by launching a survey and beginning a listening tour across the city.
She said her administration is centered on three priorities: giving drivers a voice in transportation policy, accountability and dignity.
“Both the passenger and the driver have to feel good about their ride,” she said. “That includes anything from pay to ‘do I have bathroom access’ to ‘did I get charged the right rate.’”
While the TLC has limited authority over rideshare app pricing, Valdivia said the agency can enforce rules designed to ensure TLC-licensed drivers receive enough rides and that passengers remain safe.
She raised concerns about unregulated rideshare services operating outside TLC oversight.
“They’re putting out there, kind of a message, right. That maybe they’re good for workers,” said Valdivia. “But at the same time, I know that from an insurance perspective, from a driver-pay perspective… I can’t tell the general public that it is safe.”
And Valdivia’s experience working at The Port Authority also comes in for enforcement.
“We are having an issue right now around hustling at the airports, people who are licensed, people who have, frankly, who don’t follow the rules,” she said. “And there are reports out there about scamming.”
Upon confirmation, Valdivia put out a driver survey and embarked on a listening tour to hear from drivers about what was important to them. And one thing she and advocates have said is that taxi drivers have not had a voice when it comes to the actual streets they drive on.
“I’ve seen drivers come to me and say, ‘Can you do something about the fact that we don’t really have a voice in street design? What’s happening on the streets? We don’t know,’” said Valdivia. “One day it’s the street and then it looks a little bit different.”
It especially hurts yellow taxi drivers who depend on street hails. While there is a lot for Valdivia to tackle — from taxi drivers who are still in debt to medallion values dropping thanks to rideshare apps to worker pay — there’s also room for some celebration.
“This is the latest medallion, for the 250th anniversary,” said Valdivia, pointing to the new fixture that is attached to the hoods of all yellow cabs. “And we’re really excited. And we also did this work in a house. I think it’s just a symbol of where New York is going.”