Firstly, in FAA land, "scheduled air taxi" under part 135 means the flight departs on a set schedule whether there are passengers or not. That is the difference between "scheduled" and "on demand".
Secondly, I may know a little more about this incident and the new rules than most. I am a member of the Helicopter Association International (HAI), Regulatory-Safety Working Group, (RSWG), that was convened after this incident. Members include high level FAA & NTSB officials, along with "prominent" industry leaders. I was selected to the board as I am the current Chairman of the HAI Tour Operator Committee, (HTOC), and the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOPS, (Tour Operator Program of Safety). We have met in Washington DC twice now. The first time was to review the New York incident, (among others), and identify any regulatory gaps. We are currently working on a list of 21 areas of concern in both regulations and safety culture within the US aviation industry. Some of the interim fixes were as a direct result of this group.
So, yes,this issue is being addressed. Now I am going back to flying fires till the end of fire season.....