--- title: All Hail David Do date: 2023-09-14T09:47:00-04:00 author: University of Maryland canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/all-hail-david-do" section: Articles --- # All Hail David Do *September 14, 2023* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/authors/karen-shih-09) - *Photos by Stephanie S. Cordle* > Alum named NYC taxi commissioner navigates ridesharing’s rise, drivers’ economic woes—and plenty of midtown traffic. *Yellow taxi on the road* **JUST BEYOND THE MAZE** of hallways under New York City’s Penn Station, the din outside is disorienting: Cars honk incessantly in bumper-to-bumper traffic, pedestrians jostle each other on the sidewalk, and exhaust and cigarette smoke clog the air. Unknowing tourists try to jump the yellow cab line, only to be shooed by the dispatcher, while a man waves a sign with a familiar black logo: “Anybody want a ride with Uber?” he asks. Before he can reel in a trusting traveler, a 6-foot-2 Asian American man in a blue suit and white sneakers confronts him. “Hey, you can’t do that here.” “Who are you?” the man with the sign boldly retorts, even though his sign is sketchy—it says riders must pay by Venmo or CashApp, not through Uber. It’s his unlucky day: The man in the suit is David Do M.C.P. ’14 (pronounced “doe”), chair of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). Since June 2022, he’s overseen more than 170,000 drivers and 100,000 for-hire vehicles, from familiar yellow cabs to private black cars and ride-sharing services—and Do knows that no one is allowed to solicit riders on foot. Do, 35, typically leads his staff of nearly 600 in developing and enforcing regulations from his 22nd-floor office in the Financial District, but he’s found an unusual way to keep his job at the street level: He recently became a licensed yellow cab driver, lining up for passengers himself to get a deeper understanding of the challenges that drivers and passengers face each day. “My goal has always been to move more people, more efficiently. That’s what I learned from UMD’s planning program,” Do says. “How do I use carrots—and unfortunately, sticks sometimes—to make our streets and roadways safer for all users?” *David Do drives a taxi* --- **FOR TAXI DRIVERS** in New York City—more than 90% of whom are immigrants, mostly from developing countries in South Asia and the Caribbean—the industry is a toehold to a more prosperous future in the United States. It was that same dream that Do’s parents chased as they fled Vietnam in the early 1980s, after the war. “My parents were among the mighty few who made it,” he says. They paid exorbitant fees to board rickety boats and find refuge, eventually landing in San Jose, Calif. “My dad today has this intense patriotism to the U.S. for all the opportunities it gave to them, especially the opportunities for their kids.” His parents relentlessly beat the drum of higher education, hoping he would become a doctor, engineer or lawyer. Do became the first in his family to go to college but almost flunked out of the University of California, Merced. He found his calling in student government, leading a successful campaign to bring then-first lady Michelle Obama to speak at graduation, then moved to Washington, D.C., as part of a UC Merced program. After a few years working in the mayor’s correspondence office, he realized he needed a stronger understanding of issues like housing and community development, as well as environmental and transportation planning. He applied to UMD’s [School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation](https://arch.umd.edu/)’s urban studies and planning master’s program, where he met his mentor, Alex Chen, now a professor emeritus. “He’s always had this dual perspective of the planning degree, of using that planning knowledge toward public service,” says Chen. Many planning grads work behind the scenes, advising and making recommendations while others make final decisions, but Do “has this mix of technical know-how but also political and social savvy.” *top of a taxi* > Are you ready for the most stress you’ve ever had in your life?" **A DAY AND A HALF** into his 24-hour TLC driver education class last winter holiday, Do was still incognito. Beyond quietly learning the curriculum, he was absorbing off-the-books lessons and loopholes. Cut through the red tape to get a TLC tag for your rideshare vehicle by making it handicapped-accessible, a driver sagely advised his classmates. A guy in Philly can do it for the best price. Then Do popped up in a video on screen, testifying in front of the New York City Council. “That’s when everyone collectively looked toward me,” he says, shocked to find the new commissioner in their midst. Do went on to complete a defensive driving course, take a drug test and undergo training to assist passengers in wheelchairs before he could officially hit the road in April. (The ethics board then cleared him to drive, but he can’t accept fares—a happy surprise for his passengers.) “All these things I went through in that process help me understand their frustrations,” says Do. “Learning firsthand is incredibly important if I want to bring real change.” *view from windshield of taxi of woman crossing NYC street* --- **“I NEVER KNEW** I would have to pee so much when I drive,” Do says as he cruises through the East Village, a favorite neighborhood. He’s behind the wheel of a Tesla yellow cab, one of just 34 electric vehicles among the city’s 13,587 taxis. His most dire scenario: Going from John F. Kennedy International Airport to lower Manhattan while feeling the urgent call of nature. “It was an hour and 16 minutes. Time just runs slowly. But you have to drop the passenger off first.” As he did that day, Do makes a beeline for the new Taxi Clubhouse in Chelsea, a rare space where all TLC-licensed drivers can access bathrooms, TVs, a private prayer room (for the many Muslim drivers) and a gym, with designated cab parking spots outside. It’s the type of place he’s encouraging medallion companies to build more of to support drivers. *Hanea Badar poses with David Do* **Issue:** [Fall 2023](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/fall-2023) **Types:** [Features](https://terp.umd.edu/category/features)