Two longtime New York powerhouses, Matt Daus of Windels Marx and Ira Goldstein of the Black Car Fund (BCF), have been named to publication City & State’s 2025 Trailblazers in Transportation List. Although this is the inaugural lineup for the publication, both Goldstein and Daus have appeared regularly on City & State’s other Power Lists over the years for their work and dedication to the N.Y. transportation industry.
Ira Goldstein of the Black Car Fund
Goldstein is the longtime executive director of BCF, which oversees workers’ compensation and offers safety programs for more than 70,000 independent drivers in the New York metropolitan area. Under his leadership, Goldstein has implemented programs to streamline workers’ compensation, increase driver safety, and expand no-cost health and wellness benefits to drivers. BCF also offers accident support and legal assistance to its members, and offers critical driver training programs.
City & State noted: “For more than 15 years, Ira Goldstein has ensured that livery and limousine drivers can tap into crucial benefits when they need them. Goldstein has managed The Black Car Fund, which offers disability, accident, dental, vision and workers’ compensation insurance to more than 100,000 for-hire drivers. He has repeatedly expanded the benefits under the program, most recently adding hearing care and virtual primary care. He also secured a passenger surcharge increase to cover the costs, which a US appeals court upheld in a decision last year.”
Matt Daus of Windels Marx
Daus is the founder and chair of Windels Marx’s Transportation Practice Group and was the former commissioner and chairman of the Taxi & Limousine Commission—the agency’s longest serving. Since 2009, he has been president of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR), a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization composed of government transportation commissioners and regulators from around the world. He is also chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Transportation Law Committee, and Transportation Technology Chair at the City University of New York’s (CUNY) University Transportation Research Center of The City College of New York, as well as a regular in the pages of Chauffeur Driven as a contributing writer.
City & State noted: “Matthew Daus has sought to modernize how New Yorkers move throughout the city and make mobility more equitable throughout his career. The former chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has contributed research on congestion pricing and curb management strategies at John F. Kennedy International Airport, proposed ways to reform the Interborough Express and advanced integrated payment systems. Daus recently criticized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for not exempting private bus lines or taxis from congestion tolls and has been a proponent of introducing Waymo’s self-driving taxis in New York City.”
The full list is available here.
[07.22.25]
