Applications for new Uber and Lyft license plates poured in to the Taxi and Limousine Commission Thursday, a day after a judge ordered the agency to stop accepting new requests by Monday in response to a lawsuit by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
The TLC received 772 applications for the coveted plates on Thursday, an agency source told the Daily News — more than any other day since the city lifted a cap on the plates last month for those applying to drive plug-in electric vehicles.
The run on the electric vehicle tags comes just hours after Manhattan Supreme Court Judge J. Machelle Sweeting issued a temporary restraining order that goes into effect Monday morning, halting all new applications.
Before Mayor Adams’ administration moved to allow an unlimited number of electric for-hire vehicles, the city had capped the number of Ubers, Lyfts and other for-hire cars at around 78,000.
The NYTWA, an organization of 28,000 taxi, Uber and Lyft drivers, brought the suit out of fear that the city’s decision to allow an unlimited number of electric for-hire vehicles on city streets will saturate the taxi and for-hire car market, driving down profits for all.
But in Red Hook, Brooklyn, on Thursday, a line of two dozen rideshare drivers lined up around the corner of Van Brunt St. from the entrance of a Tesla dealership on Summit St., eager to boost their own bottom lines by buying an electric car and applying for TLC plates before Sweeting’s order takes effect.
All said they were hoping leave with a vehicle identification number required by the TLC’s application process.
Near the front of the line, Shudrsan Khanal said he wanted to get his application in on time. “It’s going to close soon,” he said of the application window.
Khanal, who drives for both Uber and Lyft, said he currently rents a 2014 Toyota Camry for $610 a week. He said he expects to save by paying $800 or $900 a month to finance a Tesla.
Uber and Lyft driver Handy Rahman said he was standing in line for the same reason. “Uber said if I have the VIN number by tomorrow, I can get the plate,” he said.
Rahman, who started driving limousines 20 years ago, told The News that he currently pays $550 a week to rent a 2020 Toyota Highlander.
At that price, said Rahman, he has to work 10 to 12 hour days, six days a week.
“Three meals on the road, gas prices, and $100 a day for rent — there’s not much you can save,” he said.
All of the drivers who spoke with The News Thursday said they were currently renting a car at rates that ranged from $400 to $600 a week.
As previously reported by The News, roughly 10,000 of the 78,000 TLC for-hire vehicle plates in circulation are controlled by one of three companies: American Lease & Management, Tower Leasing, and Voyager Global Mobility.
On Thursday evening, towards the end of the line in Red Hook, Jainish — another driver who asked that only his first name be used out of fear of retribution from the rental companies — told The News he pays $525 a week for a TLC-plated Nissan Altima.
“That’s outrageous,” he said of what it costs him to work. “That’s the reason we’re standing here.”
Jainish said was expecting to have to make a down payment of at least $4,500 on a new Tesla. But he expected to save about $600 a month, “so I can take a day off,” he said.
“A day off would be helpful.”
