New York’s street pedalers filed suit against the city yesterday over the way newly created pedicab licenses are being distributed.
Veteran pedicab businesses are losing out to newcomers to the industry, the suit argues.
Under a law passed by the City Council in April over Mayor Bloomberg’s veto, pedicabs will be licensed for the first time and their number will be capped at 325. The industry had been unregulated.
When the city worked out the details for implementing the law, the New York Pedicab Owners Association complained that the city was not keeping its word to give preference only to those who could prove they owned and operated at least one pedicab.
“But they refused to heed our warnings,” said Chard Marlow, a spokesman for the group. “It is a shame we needed to go to court to get them to pay appropriate attention to the legal issues we raised, but they left us no choice.”
In response to the lawsuit, city officials said the arguments were “without merit.”