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NYC's taxi union teams with Uber, private equity firm to demand healthcare after 4 driver deaths
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 13, 2026
Modified Oct 13, 2026
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 13, 2026
Modified Oct 13, 2026
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The union representing New York City’s cab drivers has teamed up with Uber and a private equity firm that owns thousands of taxi medallions to call on lawmakers to create a public health fund for drivers.
The request was made through a letter sent to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul Friday, and comes after four yellow taxi drivers died on the job over the summer. Gothamist reported several were facing health issues, and forced to choose between working long hours to pay their bills and seeking treatment.
The letter called for the state to redirect a 50-cent surcharge on all yellow cab rides into a health fund for drivers. The surcharge has been directed to the MTA since 2009, and brings in around $24 million a year. The change would require approval from state lawmakers.
The letter also asked lawmakers to expand existing funds for app-based car and livery drivers.
The groups wrote the deaths required “crisis that is threatening the health and safety of New York City’s professional drivers.”
The coalition is an unlikely one. The Taxi Workers Alliance has long criticized Uber for damaging the city’s once-iconic yellow cab industry. MarbleGate, which also signed onto the letter, owns more than 2,000 taxi medallions, which were once valued at more than $1 million but now sell for around $100,000 a piece, according to city records.
“ To have the two largest corporations come out and support, endorse our proposal that's incredible progress for us,” said Taxi Workers Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai. “It’s incredible progress for us and a real breakthrough to show the governor and the mayor that there's less opposition here, that there's a unified call for urgency to really get this done.”
Hochul spokesperson Sean Butler said the governor's office is reviewing the group's proposal.
"Governor Hochul values the work that taxi and for hire vehicle drivers perform every day," Butler wrote in a statement.
Representatives for the mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
This story was updated with a comment from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office and to clarify MarbleGate's role.
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transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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