Mayor Bloomberg's plan to circumvent the City Council and get his plan to let livery cabs legally pick up street hails running via Albany is, like so many things, stalling in the State Senate. At the same time, livery drivers are bemoaning a two-month ticket blitz that they claim Bloomberg ordered to strong-arm support for the bill.
According to New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers spokesman Fernando Mateo, the city has given out roughly 6,000 fines in the past two months to livery drivers who picked up street hails. A photog at the Brooklyn Paper even caught a Downtown Brooklyn ticket sting operation in action. But TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg just says the blitz proves that reforms are needed.
The aggressive ticketing comes as Bloomberg desperately tries to create a new class of livery cab that would have a meter and would be allowed to pick up street hails above Central Park and in the outer boroughs. After trying to get his plan through the City Council, Bloomberg shifted gears last weekend and sent a bill up to Albany. It quickly passed in the Assembly but has gone nowhere fast in the already-busy Senate.
Just in case, though, hundred of taxis invaded Albany on Tuesday to protest the bill. But they might not have needed to. The Times points out that hacks have a very powerful ally up North: Mario Cuomo. Turns out the former Governor, and father of the current Governor, is a longtime board member at Medallion Financial, one of the more powerful companies in the taxi industry and a foe of the bill.
