New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the nomination of David Do as chair and commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
An experienced leader and regulator in the for-hire vehicle industry, Do — if confirmed by the New York City Council — would oversee the city’s work to help taxi drivers and the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and finally turn the tide on the taxi medallion debt crisis plaguing drivers.
“I am so proud to welcome a groundbreaking and supremely qualified and capable nominee like David Do to the TLC,” said Mayor Adams. “After a financial crisis and a devastating pandemic, a strong taxi industry is a prerequisite to a just and equitable economic recovery for our city, and this administration is going to deliver that for New Yorkers. Thank you to Acting Commissioner Ryan Wanttaja for his years of dedicated and continued service to the TLC and the city.”
“As the former chair and commissioner of the TLC, I know what is needed to regulate an ever-changing and vital transportation mode, and David Do clearly has what it takes,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “His depth of industry experience, collaborative perspective, and data-driven approach will bring innovation, accessibility, and equity to drivers and riders alike, and I look forward to working with him as he leads the agency.”
“I want to thank Mayor Adams for putting his trust in me to lead the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission at this pivotal point in the history of our industry,” said David Do. “Increased competition and the global pandemic have put our industry at a crossroads, and I look forward to partnering with Mayor Adams to deliver a strong economic recovery for our yellow and green taxi, livery, and for-hire industries. We will continue to work closely with our communities to ensure we protect our drivers, visitors, and passengers through advances in innovation, safety, accessibility, and equity.”
Under the New York City Charter, any nominee for TLC commissioner must be confirmed by the City Council.
David Do
David Do currently serves as the director of the Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV), where he has overseen the fast-moving and competitive for-hire vehicle industry, making it work for riders and drivers.
At DFHV, he has leveraged technology and data analysis to drive decision-making — creating a centralized dispatch platform through which residents can summon a wheelchair-accessible taxi to enhance efficiency and improve administrative processing.
As DFHV director, Do successfully launched DC Microtransit, an on-demand shuttle service to meet travel needs for residents living in hard-to-reach areas.
He also led the agency’s COVID-19 response — overseeing the distribution of protective vehicle barriers and personal protective equipment to the industry so that drivers could continue to operate safely — as well as the transformation of several of DFHV transportation programs to meet the needs of partners and the riding public.
Do previously served as the director of the Washington, DC Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, where he led the team to improve the quality of life for thousands of DC Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) through advocacy and engagement.
In 2019, he received the Catalyst Award from the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Association — a federation of AAPI LGBTQ+ groups — for his work in the DC LGBTQ+ community, including holding the first events from the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs centered around Pride and LGBTQIA+ communities of color.
Do is a graduate of the University of California, Merced and the University of Maryland, College Park.
“The taxi and for-hire-vehicle industry is the other side of mass transit in a city that never sleeps and on the front lines of a fight for workers’ rights and job security in a changing economy,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director, New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “We are looking forward to working with David Do, an experienced regulator rooted in transportation policy and thoughtful about the need to stabilize and rebuild our city’s iconic taxi and for-hire-vehicle industry post-pandemic and after years of turmoil. We’re pleased to see the mayor put forth a nominee who wants to lead with policy, has been a life-long public servant, won’t be afraid to regulate some of the wealthiest companies in the world, and has a record of working to uplift working conditions for drivers. From debt relief to a raise for all, there is so much work to be done, and we look forward to doing so with David.”
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