Remember way back in May when the Taxi and Limousine Commission announced plans to add a number of high-tech improvements to the cabs in our fair city? Yeah, well, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance does and they are still nonplussed about the whole deal. The plan, which would mean installing video screens, credit card readers and GPS in all the cities cabs, has been a stickling point for some hacks. Especially the GPS part which they say would cost cab owners $3k to install and $125-175 to maintain. Further the GPS likens them to criminals according to NYTWA executive director Bhairavi Desai, "GPS is used by cops to track common criminals, by companies to track emplyees. But taxi drivers are independent contracctors, and we don't think the city has the authority to do this."
In order to show their displeasure drivers will be protesting on Monday outside of the TLC headquarters at 40 Rector St. For good measure, the drivers will also be calling on the TLC to impose a new surcharge of $1 per ride and an extra 50 cents for every dollar increase in the cost of a gallon of gas. Somehow, Gothamist is fairly confident that the drivers are going to have better luck fighting GPS than they are pushing for a rate increase.
All of this talk of the Taxi Workers Alliance reminds us that we've been meaning to read Biju Mathew's book on the Alliance, "Taxi!: Cabs and Capitalism in New York City."
