Council weighs pedicab-free zones outside Broadway theaters as it moves to rein in the industry

Pedicabs idling at the curb outside Broadway theaters could soon be pushed back under a City Council bill that would create pedicab-free zones at Theater District entrances.

What the bill would do

Int. 64-2026, sponsored by Council Member Virginia Maloney, would prohibit pedicab drivers from parking, stopping or standing, or from picking up or dropping off passengers, within 50 feet of any entrance or exit of a theater in the Theater District zone, according to the bill text. The city's Department of Transportation would have to mark those restricted areas with signs or pavement markings, and could write rules for them. The law would take effect 120 days after it is enacted.

Where it stands

The bill was introduced Jan. 29. The Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection held a hearing on it Oct. 7 and laid it over, meaning no vote was taken, according to the Council's Legistar record. It would need a committee vote and a vote of the full Council before going to the mayor.

The hearing covered a package of seven pedicab bills. The other six, from Council Member Gale Brewer, would set rules for fares, require ride timers to be visible to passengers, move oversight of pedicabs to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, create designated curb space for pedicabs and address pedicabs with electric motors, according to a transcript of the hearing.

The case lawmakers made

Committee chair Harvey Epstein opened the hearing by saying the current system "is not working for anyone." He cited estimates that 1,200 to 1,500 pedicabs operate in the city, while open data shows just 275 valid pedicab registration plates. He said an analysis of 1,200 criminal pedicab summonses from 2025 found that only 9% led to any criminal or civil punishment, and that tourists have been charged anywhere from $50 to $1,200 for rides of less than 20 minutes.

Epstein also said Broadway productions are being interrupted by loud music from pedicabs outside theaters. Brewer said lawmakers do not want to eliminate pedicabs, but want passengers to know what they are paying and the city to be able to enforce its rules.

What the administration said

Testifying on Maloney's bill, Carlos Ortiz, chief of staff of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, noted that pedicabs are already subject to curb rules such as no-standing signs, that most theaters already have that signage and that theaters can request it where it is missing. The agency deferred to the NYPD on further considerations. The administration's testimony also relayed the NYPD's concern that a separate bill allowing electric-assist pedicabs would be very difficult for officers to enforce in the field.