Mayor Eric Adams joined thousands of for-hire vehicle drivers and their families at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on July 20 to celebrate a landmark milestone of delivering benefits and protections to more than 50,000 members of the Drivers Benefits program that was launched six years ago in a collaboration between the Independent Drivers Guild, the Black Car Fund and the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.
The initiative provides an accident disability plan, personal accident insurance, critical illness insurance and a $100,000 accidental death benefit.
“This administration is committed to honoring the service of our for-hire drivers and delivery workers, who are the backbone of our city,” Adams said. “That’s why our administration has increased wages for tens of thousands of drivers, fought companies denying them fair pay and made it easier for these workers to operate their own businesses. And we won’t stand for companies that try to evade the law and lock out workers from earning the living they deserve — we will hold them accountable for their wrongdoings, and we will always fight for our for-hire drivers and delivery workers.”
Those who sign up for the program also have access to dental, vision and telemedicine coverage, a mental health and wellness program, plus deep discounts on prescriptions, urgent care and diagnostic testing. Enrolling in the program is free and all the benefits are provided to qualified drivers throughout the state at no cost to them.
“Making the city more affordable for working people is a key goal of this administration, and the rapid rise of the Driver’s Benefits program is an example of what two organizations dedicated to improving the lives of hardworking drivers can do when they work together,” said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Do. “This collaboration between the Independent Drivers Guild and the Black Car Fund not only helps drivers and their families, it makes our city safer because healthy, happy drivers who don’t have to burn the candle at both ends to meet basic needs are safe drivers.”
More than 57,000 dental procedures have been performed through the program, approximately 9,000 pairs of eyeglasses have been distributed and 12,000 mental health visits have already been arranged for drivers so far as part of the program’s dozen different benefits. The Black Car Fund – which pays for the benefits and separately offers workers’ compensation benefits, $300 to any driver who takes their defensive driving course and paid wellness courses – is funded by a 2.75% surcharge paid for by the passengers of Uber, Lyft and traditional black car companies. The surcharge is not taken out of drivers’ pay, and the benefits are available for any eligible drivers who sign up.
“This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to protecting and enhancing the safety, health and well-being of the drivers we cover,” said Ira Goldstein, executive director of the Black Car Fund. “As independent contractors, black car drivers in New York have never been more protected than they are now, both on and off the job. Thank you to our dedicated team and our partners who have made this possible for the tens of thousands of drivers who trust and rely on us.”
The nation-leading Drivers Benefits program has been a game-changer for the drivers and their families.
“Together, we have delivered valuable and unprecedented benefits to more than 50,000 for-hire vehicle drivers who keep New York moving,” Independent Drivers Guild President Brendan Sexton said. “This hard-fought victory was sorely needed for a workforce that suffered decades of mistreatment. When workers come together and organize for change, there is nothing we can’t achieve.”
Sonam Lama, a Woodside-based member of the Independent Drivers Guild who has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2016, agreed with Sexton.
“Before these benefits, I went years between eye exams even though I was losing my vision, because it’s expensive to get glasses,” Lama said. “With Drivers Benefits, they come to the airport ride-hail lot where we are waiting anyway and you can get your eye exam right there on the spot and get glasses at no cost. I get my eyes checked every year now.”
And the initiative is also a life-saver, according to one driver from Queens who wished to remain anonymous.
“I got cancer, [the] doctor told me that I have [an] 80% chance of ending my life if I don’t start the therapy right away. So, at the time I was having the procedures at the Presbyterian hospital, I was almost hopeless,” he said. “I just contacted the Drivers Benefits and I found there is a critical illness covered benefit. I just tried applying and then I didn’t expect I could get the money for anything. I didn’t expect anything, but right after the day I was discharged from the hospital, money was in my account, so I was feeling like I’m so blessed or something.”
Nick Abromovich, CEO of the Workers Benefits Fund, said he found it rewarding to partner with organizations that are focused on improving the lives of some of New York’s most vulnerable workers.
“This program delivers health, wellness, and coordinated care to hardworking people who fall short of getting benefits from the traditional, employer-sponsored model,” Abromovich said. “We are so very proud of what’s been accomplished here.”
