Board of Directors

Matthew Daus
Director
Commissioner/Chair
New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission

Matthew W. Daus was appointed by former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and was unanimously confirmed by the New York City Council on August 22, 2001 as the tenth Commissioner/Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). On July 23, 2003, Commissioner Daus was reappointed to a seven (7) year term by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York City Council, which expires on January 31, 2010.

As Chief Executive Officer and Agency Head, Commissioner Daus’ responsibilities
include the management of over 480 employees and a budget in excess of $26
Million. The TLC generates over $40 million in revenue per Fiscal Year, issues over
160,000 licenses (for businesses, vehicles and drivers), and is responsible for
promulgating and enforcing regulations and adjudicating over 100,000 violations
each year. The TLC’s jurisdiction includes the regulation of the following for-hire
private transportation industries: taxicab; luxury limousine; black car; livery;
paratransit/ambulette; and commuter van. Commissioner Daus also presides as
Chairman of the TLC’s Board of Commissioners, which is responsible for promulgating regulations and setting rates of fare.

The following are highlights of some initiatives achieved or implemented during
Commissioner Daus’ tenure:

• Business recovery plan to respond to the economic impacts of 9/11 on all regulated industries;

• Streamlined operations to reduce waiting time and license processing time;

• Taxicab fare increases;

• TLC contingency plan to assist during New York City mass transit strike of 2005;

• Taxicab technology customer service enhancements (to allow all passengers to pay fares by credit/debits cards, passenger information monitors/screens to display fare and other public information, text messaging for drivers and location/tracking technology to assist in the return of lost property and other applications); and

•  Issuance of over 900 taxicab medallions via competitive auctions that have so far yielded over $300 million in revenue for the City of New York.

Prior to his appointment as Commissioner/Chair of the TLC, Mr. Daus was General Counsel to the Commission and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs since 1998. During his time as General Counsel, he drafted and implemented many regulations that established and enhanced safety standards and licensing criteria for TLC owners and drivers. Prior to this position, Mr. Daus served as Special Counsel to the TLC Chairperson.

Mr. Daus joined City government in 1994 as a Prosecutor for the New York City Commission on Human Rights, where he represented the agency in the prosecution and mediation of discrimination complaints in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodation. Thereafter, he was appointed General Counsel of the New York City Community Development Agency (CDA), now known as the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), where he supervised all procurement activities relating to government anti-poverty funding and social service contracts awarded to community organizations.

After serving at CDA, Mr. Daus was appointed Special Counsel to the New York City Trade Waste Commission, where he was responsible for assisting in the formation of this newly created agency designed to eliminate corruption within the private sanitation industry. Prior to joining City government, Mr. Daus began his legal career in private practice as a litigator specializing in tort law.

Mr. Daus received a Masters of Law degree from New York University School of Law and his Juris Doctor degree from Touro School of Law. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the City University of New York and has published numerous legal articles in journals and periodicals.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was created in 1971, and is charged with “furthering the development and improvement of taxi and livery service in New York City, establishing an overall public transportation policy governing taxi, coach and car services with wheelchair-accessible vans, and to establish certain rates and standards.” As such, the New York City TLC is the agency responsible for the regulation and licensing of NYC’s 13,087 medallion taxicabs providing service via street hail; 38,540 liveries, black cars and luxury limousines that serve the public via pre-arrangement; 2,257 paratransit vehicles, or ambulettes, providing non-emergency medical-related transportation; 210 multi-passenger commuter vans, offering pre-arranged geographic zone-specific service. The TLC also licenses and regulates the 94,200 men and women who drive the aforementioned vehicles, the 1,075 businesses that operate and support them, as well as setting and enforcing the standards of service by which more than 1.2 million people are transported by these vehicles each day. The TLC maintains a staff of 484 professionals with a budget of $28.6 million.


Director Matthew Daus

Office:		311 in New York City
Office:		212-NEW-YORK outside of the City
Web:		www.nyc.gov/taxi

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