City Councilman Can't Catch A Cab While Black

Sanders recreates his attempt to hail a cab for WABC.

This year Mayor Bloomberg has spent much time trying to make it easier to get a cab to take you out of Manhattan (or find a cab in the outer boroughs) but maybe first he ought to make it easier to catch a cab while black? Because if black City Councilman James Sanders's recent experiences are any indication those scare videos the TLC made in March ain't doing the trick. "It is horrible," Bloomberg said on his WOR radio show this morning.

"I have always had trouble hailing cabs and it is widespread," City Councilman James Sanders said of the recent incident in which he tried to get a cab for his visiting daughter from SoHo to Yonkers.

"I gave it my best New York try. 45 minutes later and 20 cabs, I said this isn't working. They did not stop," Sanders said. When that didn't work he and his daughter walked over to a hotel to catch a cab. And then it got worse. "Two of them said they were off duty. A third claimed he didn't go there. At that point I picked up the phone and called the Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission [David Yassky]," Sanders said.

And with Yassky listening in it kept happening. "I heard the driver just decline and drive away. That is absolutely unacceptable," said Yassky.

"[The cab] pulled away and went 20 feet away and picked up a nice white couple, took them wherever," Sanders said. Finally a onlooker helped Sanders get his daughter a cab to Yonkers—an area that yellow cabs are required by law to take you to.

Luckily Sanders got the numbers for many of the cabs that refused him service and is pursuing action with the TlC. But he really shouldn't have to. By law medallion cab passengers have the right to go anywhere within the five boroughs as well as Westchester and Nassau counties and Newark Airport. And cabbies, no matter what their union might say, do not have the right to refuse customers.

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By Garth Johnston in News on June 17, 2011 5:35 PM

Comments [rss]

nicemarmot

I was walking down 3rd ave a few years ago when I saw a black guy in a suit and tie carrying a briefcase trying to catch a cab. There were a shitload of empty cabs, and every single one of them roared right past him like he was invisible. The closer I got, the more pissed off I got. So I walked in front of him, stuck out my hand, waited for a cab, opened its door, said, "Your cab sir," and walked away.

Although a cab to Yonkers is kinda weird. I've had cabs refuse to take me to Newark airport so perhaps a refusal for Yonkers is not hugely surprising.

Sinchy

I've done the same for my dark skinned brothers.

rasclot

It's a shame, the majority of them ruin it for the minority set.

Emmily_Litella

Cabs are for extreme emergencies and privileged douchbags. The availability of things like cabs undermines support for a world class transit system. Manhattan could be a paradise if it weren't for cabs of all description clogging up the streets.

stoop_pooper

Except when you have heavy things to carry, or a baby and heavy things to carry or if your old, or if it's too damn hot to go into the subway, or if you are going from let's say east end and 87th street to greenpoint, or etc.... Come on, you don't really believe that life would be better without cabs.

seattlesnow

Welcome back to 1992

Spirit of 76

TV Nation cab wars, 1994: Yaphet Kotto vs. white repeat offender indicted for murder. Life on the street, indeed.

m015094

Councilmen have enough spare cash to take 30 mile cab rides? Maybe they are getting paid too much.

yello10

This is absolutely an epidemic. White, Black, Purple, whatever, I don't feel that this is a race-related problem. That "white couple" probably didn't want to go to Yonkers, end of story. The problem is clearly leaving the zone of 125th to Wall Street. TLC needs to provide some incentive to go to the outer boroughs, even if that means a $1 surcharge or something similar. ..