May 12, 2020 – New York – The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) launched its Driver Resource Center (https://portal.driverresourcecenter.tlc.nyc.gov) May 12, offering a wide range of services to all TLC-licensed drivers and medallion owner-drivers. Among the services available to licensees are legal services, financial counseling, health and mental health referrals, and public benefits application support.

  • Medallion owner-drivers can work with a legal professional to review loan agreements, renegotiate relevant financing agreements, challenge debt collections or judgments and much more.
  • Drivers can schedule a free, one-on-one appointment over the phone with a financial counselor to manage money and create a spending plan, develop a strategy to minimize debt, draft letters to creditors to lower payments or temporarily suspend payments due to hardship, keep personal and business finances separate, access local, state and federal emergency resources, and much more.
  • Licensees can receive assistance signing up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Cash Assistance, and Medicaid renewal applications.
  • The Center will provide referrals to mental health programming and help licensees sign up for health insurance.

“TLC Licensees, Medallion Owners/Drivers and For-Hire Vehicle Drivers, are among the most vulnerable workers in our city amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They deserve all that we can give them to stay healthy and support their families.” said TLC Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk. “The Resource Center will connect drivers to all the services New York has to offer. The Center will be a transformative tool in the fight to get through this crisis and emerge from it a better, fairer city.” 

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) played a key role in ensuring the Center’s launch.

“We commend the TLC for launching remotely and helping drivers navigate through this difficult time. Drivers are struggling now more than ever, and the City is here to support them,” said DCWP Commissioner Lorelei Salas. “We’re proud to be able to be a part of the TLC Driver Resource Center and provide free, confidential, one-on-one financial counseling through our Office of Financial Empowerment. A phone appointment with a financial counselor can help drivers manage funds, reduce debt, draft letters to creditors and much more.” 

“Neighborhood Trust’s financial counseling services are designed to help vulnerable workers in a moment of crisis, and our phone-based model is particularly effective at meeting the unique challenges of today,” said Justine Zinkin, CEO, Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners. “We’re proud to be called upon to offer our financial counseling services alongside legal and health services and help give drivers the support they deserve.”

Read the full press release.