INDUSTRY IN REVIEW

By Don McCurdy

The age old question.

What to do about wheelchair accessible cabs? Every major city has the same issue with the usual suspects whining this way and that. It is especially difficult to provide wheelchair accessible taxicabs in New York City because taxicabs aren't allowed to be dispatched in New York City. Well, at least the yellow cabs aren't.

The latest proposal will put 2,000 wheelchair accessible taxicabs on the street, but you still can't call a yellow cab for a pick-up so the wheelchair customer will have to roll out to the curb and flag one like everybody else. How primitive is that? It's a wonderful thing that yellow cabs have exclusive rights to flags, oops, that's going away. However, there is still a need to be able to summon a dispatched vehicle for a specific pick up.

My own opinion is that providing wheelchair accessible transportation doesn't work with the "flag" taxicab model. Well, that's unfair, that's illegal, and that's unfeeling. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't work. More of something that doesn't work is a typical government solution, but it doesn't work.

The simplest solution is to make the future outer borough flag medallions wheelchair accessible and send them for the on demand trips requiring a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Now, that's 18,000 wheelchair accessible livery vehicles which are privately dispatched and are allowed to be dispatched. While all 18,000 will undoubtedly not be dispatched by the same company there will be enough accessible vehicles for a reasonable level of coverage.

The purchasers of the medallions will have advance notice as to the requirements of the medallion so there should be no beef over it from that angle. The city and state can save the money they're putting up, which they don't have anyway, and the wheelchair customers can call the company that provides them the best service. Or you can put 2,000 more wheelchair accessible yellow cabs on the street to pass the wheelchair riders like they do now. Sure, in an ideal world every warm compassionate NYC taxicab driver in an accessible vehicle would pass up regular, walking passengers and scoop up wheelchair passengers first and foremost, but that just doesn't seem to be the world we live in.

Is this scientific?

I laughed right out loud after reading an article from DC regarding "how is the city's taxicab fleet doing?" This is the question from DC council member Mary Cheh. It appears the cab drivers are a bit tweaked over some of the regulations being suggested by Contrary Mary's subcommittee.

Mary has come up with an online poll to find out what the good citizens of DC think of the taxicab service there. Well, when I last visited DC the cab service was terrific. Having said that, it was back in the zone days and the fare was a bit confusing. Okay, I actually had no idea what the fare was going to be.

The service was good though, and DC was one of the last bastions of free enterprise in the taxicab industry. That is to say, that nobody's friends had talked them into "fixing" the industry yet. Drivers worked for themselves paying no giant fee to the medallion owner or other potentate for the privilege of driving.

I don't know of a single taxicab rider that doesn't have a horror story of the "ride from hell," so I'm not sure what the survey will produce beyond some feel good excuses to better the industry. However, let's not let that hold us back.

How lame is that story?

Well, Nashville has decided to allow a couple of startup taxicab companies, but they can't start until later in the year because the city doesn't have enough employees to process the paperwork. Really? How about if all of the city employees go home until they've saved up enough money to provide the necessary personnel? Isn't that what they're telling the new companies? How pathetic is that story?

I have long believed that most government regulation is a detriment to business and this story is direct evidence that I am correct. The idea that one or two more inspections a day couldn't be done is absolutely ludicrous. That is, of course, the difference between the private sector and the public sector, the ability to absorb customers. If that were my employee telling me that excuse he, or she, would be on his, or her way to his, or her, next job. What an embarrassment to Nashville.

It's not the taxi blowing its horn.

The Chicago Tribune has motivated the city to action. Well, at least they say they're motivated. The Tribune article, blowing its own horn for its series on taxicab drivers getting away with unsafe driving and tickets, alleges the city is about to have "reforms." Really? What good are more laws if you don't enforce the laws you currently have? The city needs to reform the city not the taxicab industry.

The point of the articles by the Tribune was that the city wasn't properly protecting the public by weeding out problem drivers. Perhaps, someone could help me understand how "reforming" the taxicab industry is going to compel the city to uphold their obligation to their own existing laws. I think maybe the Tribune should hold its self-applause until the real issue is recognized.

The usual stall that's all.

Having actually worked in the taxicab industry in Austin, Texas, a recent article from there about the city council stiffing the drivers didn't come as much of a shock. The council struggles to understand, like many cities, the taxicab industry and quite frankly appears frightened of public hearings that raise the ire of taxicab drivers.

While I've never heard of a riot at an Austin city council meeting over taxicab issues I can report that drivers can come across a little edgy at times. Put a hundred taxicab drivers in the council's chambers and even the security gets their sneakers on. Eventually, the council will have to don the Kevlar vests and helmets and deal with the issues. It just makes it a little worse when the drivers stand around for half a day and don't get their issues heard.

Is that an undocumented worker issue?

Thousand Oaks, California recently arrested some wannabe taxicab drivers for driving a taxicab without a taxicab license. One was even driving without a valid California driver's license. "It's a safety issue", reports Sargent Roman Bassi of the local police department. Is that right?

It appears that taxicab drivers have to pass a criminal background check and other such tests before being allowed to drive a
taxicab. Gee, that sounds like a microcosm of the entire "undocumented worker" issue. One has to wonder how it is a safety issue for undocumented taxicab drivers, whose immigration status wasn't mentioned in the article, and not an issue for other fields of endeavor? You'd figure a place as open minded as California wouldn't get all excited about a few undocumented taxicab drivers.

Police seek driver involved in "accident."

A potential passenger is reported to have been injured in DC when the driver he was arguing with drove away. The man is reported to have "held on to the cab" as the driver left. So, why are the police looking for the driver? Is the driver somehow at fault because the potential passenger was so abusive that he wouldn't carry him?

Taxicab drivers make their living picking up strangers, you know, like your mama told you not to. As a driver, I was hard pressed to want to refuse transport to anyone because that is how I made my living. It was a rare occasion that I refused a fare or drove by someone, it simply wasn't profitable. So, armed with that information I always view these stories with a bit of skepticism. You had to act pretty stupid for me to pass you up or to drive away once I made contact, but it occasionally happened. Let's see, once in eight years. Sounds like an attempted suicide to me.

Who is in charge here anyway?

I don't own an NFL team. I probably won't ever own an NFL team. However, if I did own and NFL team and I had guys I was paying millions of dollars a year to perform, I think that I would hire some lowly hundred grand security guard to drive them around and keep them out of trouble.

Recent reports of Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall getting cuffed and put into a patrol car over a dispute with two taxicab drivers brought this to mind. How much PR money could have been saved if big Ben had a chaperone? Medical expense money for Plaxico? We won't even mention Kobe since he's not football. If you view the NFL as a business, which it most assuredly is, how can you let million dollar assets wander around without protection?

College students, why didn't I think of that?

NYC TLC has hired college students for a sting operation on taxicab drivers not taking long trips. I don't know how that's better than retirees, but it works. College students surely need the cash as bad as retirees.


If you have any comments regarding this or any of my articles please feel free to contact me at dmc@mcacres.com. —dmc