§ 19-520 Advisory board.

   a.   Taxi and limousine commission advisory board. There shall be an advisory board whose members shall be appointed for two-year terms by the mayor and the speaker of the council to enable the commission to be kept aware of current views of all segments of the industries regulated by the commission and of the public and to be available to the commission to provide the expertise of its members for the better administration of the commission and service to the public. Such advisory board shall consider and provide recommendations to the commission regarding issues related to such industries, including, but not limited to, the promulgation of rules, enforcement of existing laws and rules, and issues related to accessibility, safety regulations, fees, rates, work conditions and other industry matters.

   b.   The advisory board shall consist of twenty-four members, including each chairperson of the transportation, consumer affairs, and finance committees of the council or such chairpersons' designees, as well as one member of each of the following groups:

      (1)   a taxicab medallion owner who is not required by law to drive his or her taxicab;

      (2)   a taxicab medallion owner who is required by law to drive his or her taxicab;

      (3)   an individual who acts as an agent for those who lease taxicab medallions to drivers who own or lease their own vehicles;

      (4)   an individual who represents an institution which lends money for the purpose of purchasing or financing taxicab medallions;

      (5)   a taxicab driver who does not own a taxicab medallion and leases a taxicab on a contract term that is on a daily or weekly basis;

      (6)   a taxicab driver who does not own a taxicab medallion but owns his or her own taxicab or leases a taxicab on a contract term that is other than on a daily or weekly basis;

      (7)   an advocate for the disability community;

      (8)   an advocate for taxicab passengers;

      (9)   an advocate for passengers of for-hire vehicles;

      (10)   a commuter van service driver or operator;

      (11)   an operator of a black car base;

      (12)   an operator of a luxury limousine base;

      (13)   a driver of a black car vehicle;

      (14)   a driver of a luxury limousine vehicle;

      (15)   a driver of a for-hire vehicle other than a luxury limousine or black car; (16) an operator of a paratransit base;

      (17)   a driver of a wheelchair accessible taxicab or for-hire vehicle;

      (18)   a holder of a HAIL vehicle permit as applicable;

      (19)   an advocate for the environment;

      (20)   an operator of a base station that has a permit issued by the commission to dispatch one or more HAIL vehicles as applicable; and

      (21)   an operator of a base station that does not have a permit to dispatch any HAIL vehicles as applicable.

   c.   Except for the chairpersons of the transportation, finance and consumer affairs committees or such chairpersons' designees, eight of the members of the advisory board set forth in subdivision b of this section shall be appointed by the speaker of the council and thirteen shall be appointed by the mayor all for two-year terms, none of whom shall be an employee or staff member of the council or the commission. No members of such advisory board serving two-year terms shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive two-year terms. The board shall meet no less often than every three months beginning after the complete board is initially appointed.

   d.   Not more than thirty days following any meeting of the advisory board held pursuant to this section, the commission shall provide to the council and to all board members a written summary of such meeting, including but not limited to any recommendations made by such advisory board.

   e.   Nothing contained in this section shall preclude any members of the commission from holding meetings with members of the board or other interested industry members that are not advisory board meetings.

§ 19-521 Central dispatcher services at all major transit terminals.

   a.   The commission shall institute a plan for the industry relating to the establishment of a central dispatch system operating at all air terminals within the city of New York. Such a program shall be instituted at all such air terminals to provide service to any and all points in the five boroughs, and in such other locations as from time to time the commission shall deem necessary.

§ 19-522 Group riding.

   The commission shall institute a group riding plan for the taxi industry in the city of New York. Initially, this plan shall encompass, minimally, a pilot group riding program from John F. Kennedy international airport to any and all points in the five boroughs, providing dispatchers at the various airport terminals and a central dispatching system to expedite passenger conveyance. After sixty days from the start of such program at John F. Kennedy international airport, the commission shall seek to establish group riding programs at various points in the five boroughs, to be designated by the commission, with the view to increasing taxicab availability to and from the outlying sections of the city to meet the maximum demands for taxi service.

§ 19-523 Service in areas outside the Manhattan central business district.

   a.   At the time of the submission of a final environmental impact statement to the council pursuant to section 19-504.1, the commission shall submit a written report to the council setting forth its plan for improving taxicab and for-hire vehicle service in the areas of the city lying outside of the central business district of the borough of Manhattan.

   b.   The commission shall develop such plan in consultation with community and business leaders, representatives of the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries and members of the general public. The commission shall conduct at least one public hearing in each of the five boroughs concerning the development of such a plan.

   c.   The commission shall consider a broad range of service, pricing and regulatory options including, but not limited to, imposing additional requirements to ensure taxicab availability in areas of the city lying outside of the central business district of the borough of Manhattan, establishing group riding programs at various points in the five boroughs, instituting double shifting and shift time changes for taxicabs, altering the fare structure for taxicabs and improving compliance with the requirements of paragraphs one and two of subdivision a of section 19-507. The report to the council shall include a thorough assessment of each possible option for improving service, the commission's recommendations as to which options should be implemented and a timetable for implementing these options.