Livery Cab Pick-Up Proposal

MYFOXNY/AP - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is preparing to deliver his yearly "State of the City" address.

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The mayor plans to give the speech Wednesday afternoon at the restored St. George Theatre on Staten Island. It will include a proposal to increase the availability of taxis outside Manhattan by allowing some livery cabs to accept street hails in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.

Speaking with Good Day New York on Wednesday, Taxi Commissioner David Yassky said the idea would give New Yorkers another safe, reliable and convenient option for getting around.

"People in the other four boroughs (outside Manhattan) also need to hail a cab. The livery cars or car services, people already do this (hail the cars), but not legally. Put in a meter, roof light, GPS locator. Ninety-seven percent of trips are in Manhattan and to the airports. It has to go through the City Council and the mayor's approval. It's a good idea," said Yassky.

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance which represents 15,000 yellow cab drivers is opposed to the proposal: 

"We are stunned by the Mayor's proposal to turn liveries into taxis in the outer boroughs. Legalizing an illegal activity because it's been done for so long will immediately cut into fares, especially during the rush hours when yellow cab drivers who live in the outer boroughs pick up fares at the beginning or end of their shifts. And as liveries bring more riders into Manhattan, what guarantee do we have that the city will stop the illegal activities in Manhattan or the airports? Already, the city has turned a blind eye on such activity throughout Manhattan and the airports which cuts deep into taxi driver incomes. This is a slippery slope with long-term implications. Meanwhile, yellow cab drivers pay between $130 - $190 per SHIFT before they can break even. EVERY fare counts. Already, there is increased competition as more taxis are being leased out during this recession with record high number of license holders. Nothing has been done to bring down the costs on drivers, namely the lease, or change the unfair 5% cut on credit card fares or the impact of the 50cent MTA tax which many still wrongly think goes to the driver and not the state. On top of more competition, higher expenses and reduced number of passengers, we will face more competition and less passengers. This will have a long term impact on us. Basically, the Mayor is proposing a second tier taxi market that will make second class citizens of taxi drivers."- statemeny by Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director, NYTWA.