The New York State Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the Taxi and Limousine Commission did not overstep its authority in picking the controversial Nissan NV200 as the "Taxi of Tomorrow." The ruling ends a lengthy court battle brought by the Greater New York Taxi Association, who argued that the new taxis are a bad choice because they are not hybrid or wheelchair-accessible, and that they should have been approved by City Council. There will, however, be an alternate wheelchair-accessible model that taxi operators will be able to buy if they want, and as for the City Council approval, Judge Leslie Stein wrote that, "The TLC ... has always regulated the taxi industry as to almost every detail of operation. The City Council has largely left taxi regulation to the TLC, with little interference."
There are currently hundreds of NV200s already on the road, and the plan is for the model to comprise around 80 percent of the city's fleet. "We are disappointed in the court's ruling. This law is an over-reaching holdover of the Bloomberg Administration," said a spokesman for The Greater New York Taxi Association. "That said, it is time to move on."
· Bloomberg's 'Taxi of Tomorrow' wins court challenge [NYP]
· Top State Court Backs New York City's 'Taxi of Tomorrow' [NYT]
· Taxi of Tomorrow coverage [Curbed]
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