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NYC pedicab bill looks to pump the brakes on rides that can cost tourists $1K
By
Charles Lane
Published Aug 13, 2026
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Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
By
Charles Lane
Published Aug 13, 2026
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A coalition of business groups, community justice advocates and the licensed pedicab industry is backing new City Council legislation that would shift regulation of New York City's pedicab industry to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and require every pedicab to carry a city-approved meter, city-issued identification and a scannable registration code.
The two-bill package targets an industry that has ballooned well beyond the roughly 850 pedicab plates the city authorized in 2009. Between 1,200 and 1,500 pedicabs were operating by 2024, many with forged credentials, according to a May report that shaped the legislation. The report says passengers, mostly tourists, have been charged $500 to nearly $1,000 for rides lasting 15 to 20 minutes.
The first bill would require meters, fare-display signs and scannable codes so passengers and enforcement officers can verify a pedicab's registration and business information.
The second, sponsored by Councilmember Gale Brewer, would move regulation from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to the TLC, which already licenses taxi and for-hire drivers. It would keep the citywide cap of 850 plates while limiting any single business or owner to 30 plates. The bill also would require the TLC to study the pedicab insurance market.
Brewer said in an interview that the TLC is a natural fit because it already regulates for-hire vehicles.
"It's a big deal for TLC to do this and get it out of Consumer Affairs, which didn't have the inspectors, and there wasn't a lot of oversight," Brewer said.
The legislation follows the May 2026 report, "Fixing the Pedicab Problem: A Roadmap to Reform," developed with the Midtown Community Justice Center, the Central Park Conservancy, the Times Square Alliance, the New York Pedicab Alliance and city agencies.
In 2025, riders filed 172 pedicab-related complaints through 311, including 86 about overcharging and 35 involving unlicensed operators, according to the report.
The licensed pedicab industry has spent the better part of two years pushing for the change, arguing that unlicensed operators are ripping off tourists and undercutting rule-abiding drivers. Members of the New York Pedicab Alliance previously told Gothamist that summonses written by the NYPD are routinely dismissed in court because officers rarely produce discovery.
Alliance President Makan Camara said in a statement that the legislation tackles fare transparency, registration barcodes and the removal of jail time for pedicab violations, calling it "an encouraging first step toward a safer, fairer and more professional industry."
In 2025, an unlicensed pedicab driver died by suicide in police custody after his arrest on an open summons warrant related to pedicab violations.
Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, said tourists should get "a clear understanding of how much it's going to cost" once meters are required.
Brewer said Council Speaker Julie Menin supports the legislation. She said she has not spoken with Mayor Zohran Mamdani about the bills but expects his support.
Spokespeople for the mayor and the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection did not respond to requests for comment.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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