KOPPELL APPLAUDS MAYOR’S PROPOSAL TO PERMIT STREET HAILS FOR LIVERY CABS IN OUTER BOROUGHS

Here is legislation Bronx Councilman Koppell is supporting that would improve life in the BoogieDown. I respect the issue of medallion cab owners protecting their investment, but as per the statistics listed below and the fact that I hardly ever see medallion cabs in the Bronx, the law proposed is perfectly logical. Sometimes medallion cabs won't even take you to the Bronx if you hail them in Manhattan; even though it's illegal once you set foot in the cab. Keep in mind, I am a white guy who often carries a $300 hand made leather briefcase and dresses in casual business attire. I am speaking from experience. If they don't want to service the outer boroughs why should they have a monopoly on business in the outer boroughs? In addition, I always see livery cabs pulled over by the police in the Bronx. Is it because they are picking up passengers who hail them down? Would this legislation give relief to livery cab drivers trying to make a living by providing a needed service? If you agree with Councilman Koppell please log onto the city web site listed below and voice your opinion. You might even be a prize option like the one listed in the previous post.

Gregory

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KOPPELL APPLAUDS MAYOR’S PROPOSAL TO PERMIT STREET HAILS FOR LIVERY CABS
Urges Constituents to Respond to TLC Survey

Council Member Oliver Koppell, a member of the Transportation Committee, has endorsed Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to establish a new category of livery cars that can make on-street pickups outside of Manhattan- just like yellow cabs do

Currently, so-called black cabs or gypsy cabs cannot legally pick up passengers who hail them on the street. Passengers in the outer boroughs must call a livery or black car in advance to arrange a ride. Currently, hailing livery cabs on the street is illegal, although this regulation is regularly ignored by thousands of riders every day because yellow cabs are not available in the outer boroughs. Under the Mayor’s proposal, licensed livery cabs will be permitted to accept street hails in the outer boroughs provided they have uniform and recognizable markings and are equipped with meters, credit-card readers and GPS locaters.

Koppell said, “Permitting passengers to hail a livery cab on the street would be a boon to residents in the Bronx. Yellow cabs do not come to our borough to pick up fares and, consequently, people’s transportation options are limited. It will give my constituents and others living in the Bronx a safe, reliable and convenient option for getting around.”

The proposal is meeting opposition from representatives of yellow cabs who fear livery cabs will steal their fares and that their yellow-cab medallions, which in December sold for $624,000, will be devalued if street hails of livery cabs are legalized. Michael Woloz, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a group that represents garages that own medallions and taxis - then lease them to drivers, said, “A yellow medallion is a piece of tin if it is not accompanied by the exclusive ability to pick up street hails.”

Koppell countered the objections made by representatives of the taxi cab industry saying that, “Allowing pickups of livery cabs in the outer boroughs will not significantly affect the industry because 97.5% of yellow-cab pickups occur in Manhattan or the airport.”

Enumerating the many advantages of the proposal, Koppell said, “Besides convenience and transportation equity, it offers outer borough passengers yellow-taxi like amenities such as metered fares, credit/debit card payment, easier-to-spot cabs and more. Additionally, it is a sustainability initiative because fewer people would drive if cabs were readily and safely available.”

The City Council must approve the plan for it to go into effect.

TCL Launches On-line Survey
The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has launched a brief on-line survey to obtain feedback from the public about what they think about taxis and car services and how they interact with them. The survey is available in both English and Spanish at the TLC’s Web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi. The Commission will also be distributing this survey through local blogs, Web sites, community boards, community-based organizations and other neighborhood information resources.

“I would like to encourage as many people as possible to respond to this survey in order to help the TLC better address the transportation needs of our borough’s residents,” Koppell said.