The Black Car Fund is making expanding the benefits of driving for Uber, Lyft and black car companies as a surcharge enacted over the summer to give drivers access to medicine will offer more in the coming weeks.
Black Car Fund previously made workers’ compensation benefits and free telemedicine available to their members with a new 3% surcharge on ride-share customers, and the benefits continue to expand to dental exams, cleanings and vision coverage.
“The Black Car Fund continues to lead the nation in providing benefits to independent workers at no cost to them—benefits that are even more critical now during the pandemic,” Ira Goldstein, Executive Director of the Black Car Fund, said. “New York’s drivers are essential to our economy and our recovery, and so we must take care of them during this crisis and beyond. Drivers deserve access to benefits at no cost to them to make sure they can work and remain healthy, without fear that lack of coverage will lead to long periods of unpaid time away from work or preventable health conditions.”
In September, the state legislature passed a bill introduced by Senator Diane Savino and Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez to raise this customer surcharge by half a percentage point in order to expand medical access for drivers with no additional expense coming out of their pockets.
The BCF has up to 125,000 members and those belonging to other organizations such as the Independent Drivers Guild which represents over 65,000 in New York City alone.
“For-hire vehicles are an essential part of New York transportation and I was proud to work alongside the Independent Drivers Guild the past two years to expand benefits for the drivers who keep our cities moving,” Savino said. “These new health benefits will bring greater security to New York’s Uber, Lyft and black car drivers and they are a testament to the Drivers Guild’s tireless advocacy efforts.”
A full list of the benefits can be accessed here.
