Amd §§1111-c & 1111-c-1, V & T L (as proposed in S.6815 & A.8292)
Provides a defense from liability for MTA vehicles standing, stopped, or parked in violation of certain bus lane restrictions in New York city where such MTA vehicles were operated by an employee of the MTA performing authorized duties.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8810
IN SENATE
January 8, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to providing a
defense from liability for certain MTA vehicles standing, stopped, or
parked in violation of certain bus lane restrictions in New York city
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision (o) of section 1111-c of the vehicle and traf-
2 fic law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the vehicle
3 and traffic law relating to an affirmative defense for bus lane
4 restrictions in New York city, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
5 S. 6815 and A. 8292, is amended to read as follows:
6 (o) It shall be a defense to any [prosecution for a violation of a bus
7 lane restriction] notice of liability issued to the owner of a metropol-
8 itan transportation authority vehicle for standing, stopping, or parking
9 in a bus lane in violation of the applicable provisions of section 4-08
10 of chapter four of title thirty-four of the rules of the city of New
11 York pursuant to a bus rapid transit program adopted pursuant to this
12 section [when an employee of the] that the operator of the vehicle was a
13 metropolitan transportation authority [is] employee performing author-
14 ized duties [on behalf of such authority and is operating an authorized
15 employer motor vehicle in the bus lane at the time of the violation and
16 conducting lawful business or providing service to an official] involv-
17 ing a metropolitan transportation authority vehicle [or personnel while
18 in a] in such bus lane.
19 § 2. Section 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended by
20 adding a new subdivision (q) to read as follows:
21 (q) It shall be a defense to any notice of liability issued to the
22 owner of a metropolitan transportation authority vehicle for a violation
23 of section 4-08(f)(4) of chapter four of title thirty-four of the rules
24 of the city of New York pursuant to a demonstration program adopted
25 pursuant to this section that the operator of the vehicle was a metro-
26 politan transportation authority employee performing authorized duties
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11210-02-6
S. 8810 2
1 involving a metropolitan transportation authority vehicle in such bus
2 lane.
3 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
4 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the vehicle and traffic
5 law relating to an affirmative defense for bus lane restrictions in New
6 York city, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 6815 and A. 8292,
7 takes effect; provided, however, that the amendments to sections 1111-c
8 and 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law made by sections one and two
9 of this act, respectively, shall not affect the repeal of such sections
10 and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
