Color Me Confused
Towards the end of November, the 27th to be precise, that unimpeachable source of news, the NY POST, ran a short article, which offers an instructive lesson as to why public policy regarding the taxi industry is such an unmitigated mess. 
Talk about a bass-ackwards set of priorities. Color me confused. But not surprised.
Were one to enter unto the lower, middle or upper echelons of the bureaucratic gentry at the Sanitation Department, the Police Department and the Fire Department, enterprising Pilgrims would undoubtedly encounter a vast number of personnel in operational and policy-making positions who at one time or another put in significant face time riding shot-gun on the business end of a garbage truck, manning a patrol car on the midnight-to eight shift, or responding to residential fires.
Makes sense, right? Who better to administer the day-to-day issues and long-term goals of agencies involved in the critical business of New York, than those people who worked their way up the food chain by performing those self-same tasks they now oversee?
Having said that, and with all due respect, might we inquire of TLC Commissioner David Yassky as to how many people employed by his agency ever got out the day shift; paid off a medallion; kept a car serviced and running; or drove a yellow cab or for-hire-vehicle within the five boroughs of New York City?
Name one. [N]one would be an educated guess given the TLC’s bizarre priorities. Who but an inexperienced dilettante would seriously entertain the possibility of installing vending machines in the back of taxi cabs? Who would look to dole out contracts for mobile apps which allow customers to track down taxi cabs when the agency itself prohibits drivers from deploying cellular devices or accepting radio dispatch fares? Never you mind the Mayor’s enlightened decree that henceforth, all yellow cab/medallion vehicles in NYC will be sourced to one exclusive vendor, armed with a ten-year contract that precludes any competition from other vendors vying for their share of said marketplace by providing a better product?
Tragically, I am not sophisticated enough to truly appreciate the sophisticated reasoning behind Mayor Bloomberg’s imperial decree that come 2013, only one untried brand of Nissan vehicle will come to represent the iconic yellow cab throughout New York City.
Such decisions as to elements of iconic symbolism and aesthetically pleasing design criteria seem better suited to trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art than to those empowered to improve transportation options for New Yorkers and the millions of tourists who pump so much money into our collective economy.
One would think that TLC commissioners would be far more involved in divining some sort of traffic plan which would allow yellow cabs to make left turns at key intersections, or to move freely in express lanes—thus enabling them to make better time on behalf of their harried, impatient passengers.
One would be mistaken.
Because apparently, according to the NY POST, the TLC and emissaries of his honor the Mayor are presently embroiled in mortal combat with City Councilman James Vacca over his proposal to reverse the incredibly short-sighted decree which held that it was more important to come up with a “pleasing” aesthetic design for NYC cabs than to properly serve the riding public: thus replacing the term TAXI with a much sexier, iconic T, while at the same time, removing all the relevant rate charge information from taxi side panels—which had been prominently displayed on the doors of Yellow Cabs since man first walked erect.
Never you mind that taxi owners were forced to pay for this supercilious nonsense, much as they were once required to invest in those stupid public address contrivances wherein celebrities urged New Yorkers to buckle up and ask for a receipt—let alone to bear the cost of those wonderful TAXI TV systems which have been embraced with such unbridled enthusiasm by your average New Yorker.
Alas, since the rate information has been removed from the outside of yellow cabs, the poor bastards behind the steering wheels have been engaged in one testy, confrontational encounter after another with aggrieved passengers—confused as they are as to what they are being charged, assured of naught but the certitude that the taxi driver behind the wheel is trying to steal their money.
How does that old saying go? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?
You would think in the face of such unnecessary confusion that Councilman Vacca would be applauded for taking the initiative to reverse this incredibly petty, ill-conceived “policy” decision.
Guess what, Pilgrims—you would be wrong.
According to the POST: The City Council and city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission sparred yesterday over a new taxi design that eliminates printed fares from the sides of taxicabs.
Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx), Transportation Committee chair, is pushing a bill to require the TLC to reinstate the printed fares, which the city dropped earlier this year.
“I think passengers have a right to know before they get in a cab what the fare would be,” Vacca said.
He also criticized the TLC for changing the iconic “Taxi” decal on cabs to a single “T” decal.
And what was the TLC’s position?
“…TLC officials testified yesterday at Vacca’s hearing that the printed rates are confusing and ugly and that TV monitors inside taxis will soon show riders the rates in real time during their rides. That feature will be available when the Taxi TV system is upgraded in February.
Since the final cost of a trip “is really a formula” that depends on traffic, per-mile fares “can be misleading” to passengers, said Ashwini Chhabra, a TLC deputy commissioner.
He added: “The fact is we now have technology aids that we didn’t have back when the exterior fare markings were originally conceived.”
The TLC opposes Vacca’s bill, which the mayor is likely to veto, should it pass the council.
I mean…WOW! There it is, your Taxi & Limousine Commissioners in action, calling upon their cumulative experience of ZERO Days Behind the Wheel of a Yellow Cab, and thus coming up with an answer for which there was never a question to begin with.
And surprise-surprise, technology is the answer.
How could we have doubted them? And we all know how enamored Mayor Bloomberg is of technology, and how successful his other technology initiatives have been; initiatives which flushed billions of dollars down the public toilet; so much lost coin in fact that the Mayor was inspired to concoct a cynical end run around the Haas Act of 1937—purportedly in the name of enhanced Outer Borough service… not to mention his notion of looting revenues from the taxi industry through the sale of another 2000 medallions—further burdening a system already super-saturated with cabs amidst rising costs and an ever-diminishing passenger base.
Just ask those drivers who cruised aimlessly over the Thanksgiving weekend, barely making their gas and lease, how another 2000 medallion vehicles on the street would impact them economically? Just ask those drivers how much cumulative hostility they have had to endure from the riding public since the TLC removed the rate information from the doors, and replaced that hopelessly outdated word TAXI with a far more aesthetically pleasing T.
And what of the riding public? Again, a sampling of comments from the NY POST’s readership offers an accurate indication as to how potential passengers perceive this enlightened TLC initiative—and who they hold culpable.
“Since when is it ‘ugly’ to specify the price on anything, unless you are one of those merchants looking to rip off customers. Yes the decals are also confusing, why not just average everything out and make it just one price on the meter?”
“I stopped using yellow cabs long ago and instead support my local and community private car service when I need to.”
“Too many loopholes where the driver can scam the passenger.”
“When I don’t see a price, I don’t buy.”
Well-played, Taxi & Limousine Commission, well-played.
http://www.yellowcabnyc.com/blog/taxi-truth-chip-stern
Chip,
Again, You are right on the money,as always. If only they consulted you and I before they did any thing! Yes I can dream!
As an elected mayor,I swear:
a) convert bicycle lanes into taxi lanes
b)issue “taxi card”,regular ride -local $30,LGA $150, JFK $250,more you ride ,more you save.
c)all drivers must have college degree,retired Phd’s and wall street occupiers are welcomed.
d)drivers salary in a range of $1200-2500 weekly
An excellent article, Chip. Excellent. You know as well as all of us do, that the money all these gimmicks raked in for the tech boys, TLC, and mayor is so much that they don’t have enough land in NYC to pile it high, and the banks they use don’t have the tech ability to hold all their money! Trillions. Finally, these guys showed they can do anything they want, anything, they can change the word Taxi to T, LOL, they have all kinds of schemes to bypass the driver, and as you say, owners had to invest in celebrity tape recordings, remember your possessions and get a receipt. It is too funny, and now a heavy untried vehicle that everyone knows is going to be high gas mileage, and who knows what the wheels are going to do, from Turkey, how often brake changes on this heavy bomb. And every driver has been delegated as THE ONE to help every wheel chair get around, summer, WINTER, fall spring. If drivers wanted to focus on wheel chair victims, they cold have gotten a job at the hospital. Seems NO ONE IN SOCIETY wants to help wheel chair bound New Yorkers, so who else going to get the job. By edict from Broombirter and the TLC boys, surely Rogoff had a part in this too, that taxi expert consultant! LOL Keep writing Chip, you write very succinctly, truly and it is good. Just leave out the profanity!!!
You know, the rates do belong on the side of the taxi, fortified by a driver’s advice. How much to get to X? And driver will say, depending on traffic may be $15 to $20, but tell me how much you want to pay and I’ll try to get you as close as I can. I suppose now Yassky boy would put you in JAIL if you dared to suggest what a price might be. Or jail-time for any good act that might help a rider, who foolishly answers questions of the TLC as expected, and suddenly find themselves in a gimmick-mobile and taxi fares ten times higher, more taxis than needed, and everyone dying! This year, people did NOT have money for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, and Cabbies’ income died. What a surprise though, 2,000 new medallions auctioned off, this way medlalion prices will rise again, and the medallion omarket play boys will see an increase in the false value of their medallion, that a newbie might finance, thinking he could make it, after changing the brakes every 2 months!!! Yikes, I’ve given up fighting them, they don’t even try to win logically, they just dish out the crap, and no one can fight it, not with Birtberger handing out the edicts.
Here is a part of Karl Marx speech to delegates of 15th congress of Komenterne in 1874. Dear friends,taxi indusry plays a vital role in American economy,from delapidated state,which reminds me French mines of 18th century,it should step into the world of high tech enviroment,with well educated ,well paid drivers. Taxi industry should be a leader in turism by offering different discounts on hotels and air fares. Knowledgeble drivers can increase profits 10 times higher then any TV advertisement, it will attract more people to NYC,make life more relaxed and less stressful for millions of people around the world .
To help the low income drivers TLC has come up with the idea of the taxi of tommorow. New cab will offer to homeless driver a place to sleep , cook and go to the bathroom. Next time you hail a cab don’t be surprized to find a driver in his underwear with the toothbrush in his hand !
NYC Taxi needs a proffessional CEO, who will treat it as bussiness not as cash cow. It should go public, drivers should be employes, what happens now is a total disgrace.
Driver17, You have made an exelent point. Truckers use a so called board, where they advertise their service. During the pick of the season they charge more, and when things slow down, prices drop too. This is exactly the moment when a new apps technology becomes very handy. During the rush hour people are ready to pay top buck for your spotless MKZ, MB, BMW and off hours older folks can get a discount for their ride. This approach can bring the prestige of driving taxi in NEW YORK to stratospheric proportions. Unlimited income potential will bring top notch pros back to the industry.
There’s always a $billion angle, you see. With the skyboys wanting to keep their $billions. If you remove the printed rates from the outside of T s? Do we call them Tees or what? LOL If you remove the printed rates from outside of cabs, because they are on the euphemized passenger screens inside LOL, then doesn’t that force those ‘passenger’ screens to stay, can’t be kicked out, and thus the ADVERTISING TAKE of $billions a year goes on and on. If you left the rates outside, someone, someday might say take those screens OUT. It is all about the sky boys money. Which is better, NYC home-grown skyboys or skyboys from around the world?