Category: Government

Pursuant to Section 20-251 of the New York City Administrative Code and Section 2-426a of Title 6 of the Rules of the City of New York, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) has conducted an annual review of pedicab registrations and found that the number of registration plates issued has fallen below 840. As set forth below, DCWP will begin accepting applications for pedicab registration plates to fill any vacancies up to the legal limit of 850.

Application Period:
DCWP will accept applications for pedicab registration plates for 20 business days from the date of publication of this Notice, which makes the Application Period May 1, 2025 to May 28, 2025.

DCWP will not consider applications submitted after the Application Period.

Application Submission Guidelines:

• DCWP will only accept online submission of the DCWP-approved application, which is available at nyc.gov/BusinessToolbox.
• All applications must be completed and submitted by 5:00 p.m. on May 28, 2025.
• DCWP will accept only one application from each applicant.
• You can submit the application even if you are not a currently licensed Pedicab Business, but you must obtain a valid Pedicab Business license before DCWP will issue a registration plate.
• DCWP will not accept applications from any licensees that have been assigned the legal limit of 30 registration plates already.

Selection Process:

• At the close of the Application Period, DCWP will assign each accepted application a “Priority Number” using a computer-generated random number selection program.
  o If there are more applicants than available registration plates, DCWP will make offers to applicants in order of Priority Number.
  o If there are more available registration plates than applications, DCWP will offer each applicant one plate, with the possibility of applying for more than one plate.
• DCWP will notify all eligible applicants, in writing, of the opportunity to apply for a registration plate. Within 45 days of receiving that notice, an applicant must prove that its pedicab complies with all New York City laws and rules governing pedicab registration, including passing a pedicab inspection.
• If an applicant fails to comply with all of the registration requirements within the allotted time, DCWP’s offer to that applicant will become void, DCWP will remove the applicant from the application pool, and DCWP will offer the opportunity to the applicant with the next Priority Number.

Pedicab Registration Plate Lottery 2025

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) has conducted an annual review of pedicab registrations and found that the number of registration plates issued has fallen below 840. On May 1, 2025, DCWP published a notice about issuing new pedicab registration plates in The City Record.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1st, 2025
POWERS CONTACT: Emma Johnson
[email protected] 
347-864-4925

BOTTCHER CONTACT: Carl Wilson
[email protected]
646-889-3001

Council Members Powers & Bottcher Introduce Regulation of Pedicabs 

Reducing noise by limiting pickup and dropoff for pedicabs in New York City

NEW YORK – Today, Council Members Powers and Bottcher introduced a bill to regulate the use of pedicabs in New York City’s vibrant theater district. The legislation prohibits pedicabs operating within 50 feet of an entrance or exit of a theater. Theaters in particular have struggled with the prevalence of pedicabs, especially because of excessive noise and regular harassment of their patrons. The bill will provide relief to theaters, a cornerstone of the vibrant arts and culture that make New York City great.

Pedicabs have become a nuisance for both New Yorkers and tourists, as they increasingly harass people to take trips for outrageous prices, blast music at all hours of the day, and sell counterfeit items. It is far past time to take action to curb the pedicabs, and these bills will protect both consumers and people on New York streets that have to share space with them.

“Broadway is the engine that keeps New York City humming,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “The great arts institutions around Times Square deserve a chance to rebuild their audiences after the pandemic without having to worry that theatergoers will be constantly harassed by pedicabs. As Sally Bowles would say, life is not a pedicabaret, old chum!”

Council Member Erik Bottcher said, “Pedicabs have the potential to be a great micro-mobility alternative and fun activity for tourists and residents alike – but it’s not going well. Many drivers illegally blast music that disrupts performances in the Theater District and residents across Manhattan. I am proud to co-prime sponsor this legislation to ensure that no more performances are diluted by outside noise from pedicabs. As much as we love Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind,’ there’s a time and place for it.“ 

Bradley Sherburne, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 5, said, “Community Board 5 thanks CM Bottcher and CM Powers for taking action to further regulate pedicabs. The CB5 district, which encompasses the theatre district and most of Midtown, has heard complaints for years on the noise level coming from these pedicabs impacting residents, businesses and disrupting shows at theaters. CB5 has been concerned about pedicab use and their regulation since 2007 and we welcome these pieces of legislation to address an important quality of life issue in Midtown.” 

“We thank Council Members Powers and Bottcher for seeking control over the chaos of the pedicab industry that plagues theatergoers in Times Square” said Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Restricting their operations near theaters is a great first step and we look forward to working together with the Council to address all the challenges that the pedicabs bring to our neighborhood and other parts of the city.”

For more information:

https://council.nyc.gov/keith-powers/press/council-members-powers-bottcher-introduce-regulation-of-pedicabs/

On November 14, 2022, New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Agency announced that the agency will accept applications for the 2022 pedicab lottery from November 14, 2022 to December 13, 2022.

All interested applicants can apply by submitting a completed application to [email protected] .