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September 9, 2008, 4:19 pm
Fleet Owners Sue City on Hybrid Cab Rules
By William Neuman
A taxi industry group filed a lawsuit [pdf] in federal court on Monday seeking to block a city requirement that all new taxis meet stringent fuel efficiency standards that would make most cabs hybrid vehicles, a key part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s push to cut pollution and make city policies more sensitive to environmental concerns.
The city’s new taxi rule, which is set to go into effect on October 1, requires that all new taxis have a fuel efficiency rating of at least 25 miles per gallon for city driving, a standard that is currently met mostly by hybrid vehicles.
In the lawsuit, lawyers for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which represents large fleet owners, charge that the rule violates federal laws that say only the federal government can set rules on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions. (The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of a driver and companies that own and lease cabs.)
The lawsuit also claims that hybrid taxis are unsafe, in part because they are smaller and lighter than the Ford Crown Victoria, the standard taxi cab for many years, making passengers and drivers inside the hybrids more susceptible to injury in an accident.
A spokeswoman for the city legal department declined to comment on the suit, saying that city lawyers had not yet received the legal papers. The Taxi and Limousine Commission has previously said that it is confident that the hybrid cabs are safe.
More Cabbie Credit Card Horror Stories!
"He put his face into the plexiglass separation, the section that is left open, and screamed 'You f------ b----!' and spit at me, which I could feel spray all over my face. I screamed the loudest I have ever screamed in my life: 'Let me out of this cab!'" So ended a ride home to the Upper West Side for 24-year-old Sarah Snedeker, who claims her driver became irate when she insisted on paying by credit card, locking her in the cab for five minutes while they argued.
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BY PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, September 29th 2007, 4:00 AM
A federal judge yesterday refused to stop the city from requiring all yellow cabs to be equipped with Global Positioning Systems and credit card machines.
Citing privacy concerns, a taxi drivers union had filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary order delaying the new city rules.
But U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled yesterday that the use of the technology to improve taxi service appeared to outweigh drivers' privacy rights.
Cabs Are on Strike, but Are on the Street, Too
By JAMES BARRON
A strike called by a New York City taxi drivers' group over city plans for a high-tech video-and-fare system thinned the ranks of yellow cabs on the streets yesterday, producing frustrating waits on corners, long lines at the airports and angry exchanges over an ad-hoc fare system.
Union leaders and city officials differed over the effectiveness of the walkout. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which called the strike, maintained that 90 percent of drivers were idle yesterday. But Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the figure was far lower.
Still, many would-be passengers spent more time with hands in the air, stuck in that eternal pose of big-city hopelessness. And at the airports, a five-minute wait for a cab stretched to half an hour at some terminals, with 25 people waiting in line, looking at their watches, wondering why they were suddenly going nowhere when the plane had been on time.
The city had introduced a zone-based fare structure during the planned two-day strike - the ride into Manhattan from Kennedy International Airport would be set at $45, for example - but according to anecdotes, at least, the plan seemed to sow more confusion than convenience. It permitted group rides, but some drivers were unaware of it and were uncertain how much to charge. That led to more than one instance of audible angry dialogue between passengers and drivers.
DRIVING a taxi in New York City can be a grueling, thankless job. It is also a unionless job. But on Wednesday, many of the city’s 44,000 licensed cabdrivers are planning to go on strike for 48 hours to protest the new global positioning systems being installed in the city’s 13,000 yellow cabs.
While the Taxi and Limousine Commission supports these devices and has mandated that they be up and running in the city’s entire fleet by January, many cabdrivers — myself included — see this new technology as one big expensive headache. Perhaps the commission should listen to cabdrivers before pushing a device that we’d be better off without.
The device has no navigational abilities. The monitor, which is set into the partition separating the driver from the passenger, cannot be seen or accessed from the front of the cab. It does not give directions or plot routes. All it does is keep track of where you are — both on- and off-duty — and this information is then stored in the commission’s databases.
Officials at the commission say the primary purpose of the devices is to track lost property and make sure cabbies aren’t taking passengers from point A to point B by way of point Z. Sadly, there are some bad cabdrivers out there who take visitors for a “ride,” but in reality, we have much more to fear from our passengers than they have to fear from us.
However, for me and many of my fellow drivers, privacy issues aside, it’s all about money. With prices ranging from around $3,250 to $4,000 to lease and install each unit, the initial costs alone are enough to drive some cabbies out of business. For private owner/operators, this could kill their year.
The costs continue to pile up after the devices are installed. The test drivers who already have the touch-screens have reported finding the monitors covered in spray paint, stickers, soda and scratches.
As Strike Looms, Mayor Vows to Install Taxi Devices
By GLENN COLLINS
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that the city would not back down in its determination to install credit card and video devices in city taxicabs despite a threatened two-day strike by a major cabdrivers' group.
"All they would be doing is hurting themselves," the mayor said of a planned 48-hour work stoppage by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, scheduled to begin at 5 a.m. tomorrow. "Hopefully, they won't want to sit there and let all the other taxi drivers have extra fares while they earn nothing."
Nevertheless, the mayor said he hoped that "cooler heads will prevail and that nobody will strike."
The alliance claims to represent more than 7,000 hack-license holders among more than 20,000 active cabbies. Bhairavi Desai, the group's executive director, said that 50 volunteers were out leafleting and talking to drivers yesterday at taxi stands, terminals and hotels.
In competing Manhattan press conferences yesterday afternoon, rival advocacy groups said that (1) there could be a citywide taxi strike in September, and (2) there would not be a strike.
“We are ready to have a 48-hour strike on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6,” said Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, as she stood near a line of taxis outside Pennsylvania Station. “We are ready, willing and able to walk out.”
The Taxi Workers Alliance said in a press release that it wants to work out a resolution with the Taxi and Limousine Commission to avert a strike.
Two hours later, Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, said no walkout was ahead.
Standing in front of the Taxi and Limousine Commission office on Rector Street in Lower Manhattan, he said: “Read my lips: There will be no strike.”
The two groups, which have been vying for the right to speak for city cabdrivers, were at odds over a decision by the Taxi and Limousine Commission that requires all of the city’s 13,087 medallion taxis to be equipped by the end of January with new technology including a global positioning system, a credit card system and a monitor that provides passengers with an electronic map. About 1,300 taxis have already had the devices installed.
The G.P.S. that will go in cabs will not be used to navigate routes, but will be connected to meters and track the vehicle’s movements. Commission officials have called it an “electronic trip sheet” and said it could be used to help recover lost property.
by Graham Russell Gao Hodges
All Hail the Green Cabs
Published: May 27, 2007
By doubling mileage requirements for city taxicabs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to have locked in one piece of a potentially historic environmental legacy - not the most ambitious piece, but a significant one nonetheless. His action will transform New York's taxi fleet from the most polluting in the nation to one of the cleanest, and do so in five years, making the city a leader as municipalities compete to cut carbon emissions.
BY ALYSSA GIACHINO, NICOLE BODE and LEO STANDORA
Wednesday, July 25th 2007, 4:00 AM
Taxi drivers on a collision course with the city over new tracking technology and credit card payment systems may play the strike card today.
The Taxi Alliance is widely expected to warn that medallion cabbies will walk off the job Sept. 1 if the Taxi and Limousine Commission holds to its plan to install the new gear in their hacks.
The 8,400-member Alliance has been moving toward a strike declaration for months.
"If the City Council and Mayor Bloomberg continue to stay silent as drivers' privacy and economics are trampled on, we will strike," Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said yesterday.
The TLC said the Global Positioning System tracking devices are meant to be used only to help cabbies get around the city, reunite passengers with lost belongings and perhaps catch criminals who prey on cabbies.
But drivers say the system will invade their privacy, create a new breed of backseat drivers who disagree with GPS directions and cost them money.
Recent estimates put the cost of the new equipment and maintenance at $2,800 to $5,400 per cab over three years.
The Alliance said each credit card transaction also would cost the driver 5% of the fare.
Just about every driver around Penn Station yesterday turned their thumbs down on the GPS and up for a strike.
"If it goes though, I'll have to pay more money and I'll be making less money," said Herjit Sangh, 55, of Queens. "You do the math."
Constantine Tentomas, 69, also of Queens, predicted that even if installed, the GPS system would be a bust.
"Everything they put in the taxis since I started in 1977 has failed," he said. "It's gonna break; riders will destroy it."
by Sol Hess
June, 2007
In a matter of months, New Yorkers riding in taxicabs will have more to look at than the view. The constant media buzz of modern life - television programs, sports scores, advertisements - will invade the back of cabs starting in October, the result of a new city regulation requiring that all yellow cabs be equipped with global positioning systems and video screens.
The city Taxi and Limousine Commission says it simply wants to make cab rides safer and more enjoyable for passengers. But the drivers of the city's 13,000 yellow cabs have protested, arguing that the new technology will cost them money and impinge on their privacy.
WHAT THE SYSTEM WILL DOThrough the GPS system, taxi passengers will be able to know where they are at any moment. For New Yorkers who never want to be out of touch, the monitors and tracking system will make a cab ride -- 13 minutes on average -- more enjoyable. Passengers will be able to follow sports scores, get up-to-the-minute news, weather and more. (Those who want some peace and quiet will be able to turn off the monitors.) The driver will also notified of traffic congestion in the area and of large parties or concerts that are ending – and could be fertile ground for finding fare-paying customers. With the new system, passengers can pay their fares using credit or debit cards.
Taxi and limousine commissioner Matthew Daus has called the tracking and the monitors “nothing short of revolutionary and evolutionary for the taxi industry" and has written that the technology “will benefit both drivers and customers.” The commission believes it will make it easier for tourists, who may not want to carry much cash, to use cabs. And the system believes such high-tech taxis will enhance New York’s image as the "city of the world.”
But cab drivers are not convinced. They worry that the tracking system will enable the police department and traffic agents to follow the cabs and prosecute drivers for violating traffic laws. “For myself, I am not against it, but I can see my fellow drivers being angry for being dictated to sacrifice for other people's extra entertainment," said one driver, Ibrahim Jane.
By Arianne Cohen
How It Works: Cabbies can never raise their prices: The city sets their meter rates at 40 cents for either four blocks or one minute standing, plus a starting amount ($2.50 or more depending on time of day). Their hours are most profitable when driving long distances with no traffic. "I want to be making $30 to $40 an hour," says Pekoh, a Ghanaian immigrant who owns his own medallion and drives 60-hour weeks. Pekoh aggressively hustles to pull in $300 to $400 a day after expenses.
Sixty to seventy percent of yellow cabs are leased from fleet operators for $120 per twelve hours, with cabbies pocketing all revenue beyond gas costs. Most drive twelve-hour shifts and report $150 to $300 per shift. After twelve years of leasing, Pekoh bought a medallion for $190,000 in 2000. As an owner, he's responsible for buying and maintaining his car.
Annual Revenue: $75,000 ($12,000 is profit before tax).
Annual Overhead Costs: Basic-model Crown Victoria: about $7,000 (the $28,000 car is replaced every three to five years); insurance: $5,000; car maintenance: $4,000 to $5,000; parking: $2,200; medallion debt payments: $24,000 (he expects to sell his medallion at a profit; one went for $600,000 last week).
Most-Profitable Fares: Low-traffic city trips: "Every time somebody gets out, someone gets in, and I get my $2.50." Midday airport runs: "At 3 p.m., there's no traffic, and so many planes are coming in that you get $90 plus tips."
Least-Profitable Fares: Borough trips in traffic: "It's a dead ride back to the city, and getting through a bridge or tunnel in rush hour can be tough," says driver Cliff Adler.
Profit Catastrophes: Tickets: $65 to $115 per moving violation.
Added Value: Hacks are pulling for congestion pricing: Heavy traffic in midtown is making it an unprofitable (as low as $20 per hour) standstill.
New Yorkonomics: Taxis become economically attractive when the cost of paying someone to drive for you is less than the costs of storing your car. New York's high price of land makes parking so expensive that there's enough demand for an army of Samuel Pekohs.
design trust for public space
January 5, 2007
High-Tech Gadgets in Taxis Will Cut Profits, Cabbies Say
By RAY RIVERA
A plan to provide high-tech enhancements to New York taxicabs — including touch-screen monitors that will allow passengers to watch television, get game scores and track their ride on a global positioning system — drew angry reactions from cabdrivers yesterday who say they will have to foot the bill.
More than a dozen drivers squeezed into a cramped City Council hearing room yesterday to protest the high-tech amenities they will soon be required to install in their vehicles under new city guidelines. The Taxi and Limousine Commission, which regulates city cabdrivers, says the cost of installing and operating the equipment will range from $2,900 to $7,200 per taxi over a three-year period.
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The plan also requires drivers to accept credit and debit cards. Drivers say the 3.5 percent transaction fee that they would pay would eat into their profits, and that if the card system is down, they could get stuck with the cab fare if the passenger is without cash.
“We’re independent contractors, we’re like entrepreneurs, and we’re forced to take credit cards,” said William Lindauer, 63, who said he had driven a cab in the city for 30 years. “You can’t force a restaurant to take credit cards. And entertainment, we’re forced to provide entertainment?”
| Taxi 07 builds on the momentum of the Design Trust's two-part workshop, Designing the Taxi, which launched a productive and ongoing dialogue with the New York City design community, the taxi industry, and the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC). Taxi 07's goal is to facilitate innovative new cab designs and propose improvements to the technologies, regulations, and public spaces that support the taxi system. | Implementation of these improvements is currently being pursued through the three related program initiatives of Taxi 07. These initiatives focus on encouraging design excellence, creating public awareness, and developing a taxi master plan. |
Correspondence
An Arm in the Air for That Cab Ride Home
By CALVIN SIMS
Published: October 15, 2006
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In fact, after living overseas for nearly a decade, I have noticed that in New York, it is much easier for me — a black male in my 40’s — to get a cab.
The change has led me to ask two questions. First, how did this come about? After all, empty cabs zipping by my outstretched arm seemed like a fact of life — a persistent form of discrimination, seemingly impossible to end.
And second, how come progress didn’t come sooner? How could such an obvious form of discrimination — akin to not serving blacks at lunch counters — continue all these years
She hacks it
BY ELIZABETH HAYS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Melissa Plaut is a rarity in the city - a female cab driver and an aspiring writer who chronicles her exploits on a blog and is set to publish a book next year about her experiences on the road.
"I thought it would be my next adventure," said Plaut, 30, who lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and worked a string of office jobs before being laid off in 2004 and deciding to get her hack license.
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That Wild Taxi Ride Is Safer Than You Think, a Study Says
April 28, 2006, Friday
By THOMAS J. LUECK AND JANON FISHER (NYT); Metropolitan Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section B, Page 3, Column 1, 807 words
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 807 WORDS -In a city where almost everyone has a story about zigzagging through traffic in a hair-raising, white-knuckled cab ride, a new traffic safety study may come as a surprise: It finds that taxis are pretty safe. So are livery cars, according to the study, which is based on state...