Over the weekend, rather than push it through the City Council, Bloomberg slipped his controversial-to-cabbies plan to let livery cabs accept street hails outside of Manhattan up to Albany. And while the bill, which just passed in the Assembly, likely won't be voted on in the Senate before this session is over—it increasingly looks like marriage equality might not even see a vote!—that doesn't mean that hacks aren't furious about the plan to flood the streets with 30,000 additional fare-accepting vehicles. Yesterday cabs and cabbies lined up to protest by City Hall and today they've taken their chants of "Hail, No!" to Albany.
A mass of yellow metal has reportedly rolled up to the capital of the Empire State, a curious sight which has locals scratching their heads. So naturally, the Albany PD have started ticketing them!
The big problem for the drivers, however, is that just as they are collecting to speak out against competition the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a frequent critic of this plan and one of the biggest voices in the industry, has changed its tune and endorsed the proposal. A major factor in the switch is the assurance that the TLC will create a new enforcement unit "targeting livery drivers who try to poach airport or Manhattan fares."
"These provisions will keep owner operators whole," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance, told the News. "We are a significant workforce, and our interests need to be represented at the table."
Still, expect this fight to go on for some time. Even if the bill in Albany were to get passed before the session is over the new permits, which allow meter-equipped livery cabs to pick up fares in the outer boroughs and above Central Park, would not become available until next summer.
