On Earth Day 2024, TLC Announces City’s Rideshare Fleet Hits Two Million Zero-Emissions Trips in March - TLC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 22, 2024

contact: press@tlc.nyc.gov
212-676-1070

On Earth Day 2024, TLC Announces City’s Rideshare Fleet Hits Two Million Zero-Emissions Trips in March

New Milestone Almost Doubles January’s Historic Gains

NEW YORK, NY – As the world unites to celebrate Earth Day, the Taxi and Limousine Commission continues to do its part to drive New York City to be a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable place. In March, the TLC’s rideshare EV trips surpassed two million (2.05M) for the first time – roughly doubling January’s one-million EV trips (1.08M) milestone in just two months.

Since November 2023, monthly EV trips have seen about a fivefold increase – up from 362K. Wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) trips have also seen a notable upsurge. March 2024 saw the most rideshare WAV trips in the TLC’s history with 1.9 million – a 32% increase from March 2023.

The Green Rides Initiative – which outlined annual requirements for Uber and Lyft’s transition to 100% zero-emission or WAV trips by 2030 – made New York City the first in the U.S. to commit to this kind of transition and is a key part of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ ‘Working People’s Agenda.’ The announcement on Oct. 18, 2023, dovetailed with the release of new EV licenses the next day.

EV trips from January through March 2024 have saved about 6,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in completing more than 25 million trip miles. In practical terms, that is equivalent to about:

One year’s worth of emissions from 1,500 gas-powered passenger cars

Carbon sequestered by 107K tree seedlings for about 10 years

Emissions from 731K gallons of gasoline

Emissions from 7,163,500 pounds of coal burned

“These kinds of climate goal gains are momentous,” said Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi. “A cleaner city is a safer city, and TLC licensees continue to be trailblazers in this historic effort as they forge a path to the middle class as their own small business owners.”

“When our city set out to make Green Rides a reality, trading sustainability for accessibility was not an option – and that’s the balance we have struck,” said TLC Commissioner David Do. “With the most EV and WAV trips in our history in the same month, we are proving that ambitious strategies can produce historic results and making this a more livable city for all.”

Green Rides’ annual targets were designed to ensure a smooth and efficient transition to a cleaner, more accessible fleet by 2030. The original goals of 5 percent in 2024 were set to rise to 15 percent in 2025, but that target was met in January almost two full years ahead of schedule – with the current number at just over 17%. That includes a 500K increase in year-over-year WAV trips since March 2023.

The remaining targets are 25 percent in 2026 and 40 percent in 2027, with annual 20 percentage point increases until the end of the decade.

The TLC and the City are also stimulating more charging infrastructure with a collection of projects. Recently, Revel announced a project to build the largest charging station in the U.S. near an airport (LaGuardia), while Gravity’s 500kW round-the-clock, 24-plug fast-charging site opened in February. NYC DCAS also recently opened five new Level 3 chargers at the World’s Fair Marina parking lot, not far from Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

More resources and information about EVs and charging can be found at nyc.gov/charging.

About the NYC TLC

Created in 1971, NYC TLC is the agency responsible for licensing and regulating New York City's Medallion (Yellow) taxi cabs, for-hire vehicles (community-based liveries, black cars, and luxury limousines), commuter vans, and paratransit vehicles, along with the businesses that operate them. It is recognized as the largest and most active taxi and For-Hire Vehicle regulatory body in the United States.

Over 200,000 TLC licensees complete approximately 1,000,000 trips each day. To operate for hire, drivers must first undergo a background check, have a safe driving record, and complete 24 hours of driver training. TLC-licensed vehicles are inspected for safety and emissions at TLC's Woodside Inspection Facility.

To find out more about the TLC, or to review its rules, regulations, and procedures, we encourage you to visit our official Web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi or contact 311/311 Online.

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