Cabbies Wednesday called for city permission to use their cell phones while on duty – a day after drivers used their mobile devices to help nab a mugger.
Taxi and Limousine Commission regulations prohibit drivers from talking on cell phones – even if they use hands-free gadgets and don’t have a passenger in their car. Violators can be fined.
“New York State law permits hands-free cell phone use for all motorists, so why does the TLC ban it for professional drivers?” New York Taxi Workers Alliance Director Bhairavi Desai said at a Manhattan press conference.
Six cabbies were having a group chat Tuesday morning in violation of the rule when they overheard one of the group, Neeru Singh of Queens, being attacked by a passenger in Chelsea.
One of the cabbies called police, while the group members rushed to Singh’s aid. Based on the information provided by the drivers, police managed to arrest a Bronx woman who allegedly ran from Singh’s cab after choking the rookie driver and attempting to steal her earnings.
Singh and her cell phone pals attending yesterday’s press conference said cell phones are an important safety tool.
“We don’t talk when there is a passenger,” said driver Rajni Tak. “But the phone is always on so if we are in trouble, any of our friends can hear and come to help.”
TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus said in a statement, “Cell phones can be very helpful. . . . Unfortunately, cell phone abuse has resulted in . . . drivers leaving their passengers feeling . . . downright unsafe, which studies agree is a true concern.”
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Biff 06.02.08 at 10:38 am
When cab drivers talk, talk, talk on a cell phone while driving, it is a pain in the ass. I have felt like strangling them on more than one occasion. I have told several to get off the phone.
I don’t take a cab to listen to a cabby blab with his friends.
L. Will 06.02.08 at 7:11 pm
Imagine how the driver of the cab feels when he/she is sitting in the front, avoiding bikes, waiting on pedestrians, trying to obey traffic laws, and is forced to listen to the passenger’s idiotic conversation about getting wasted or something else along those lines.
In the same way that passengers don’t want to hear their driver’s conversations, drivers don’t want to hear their passenger’s conversations either.
CreditCardCabbie 06.03.08 at 6:06 pm
L.Will! ~ It’s OK, to hear the passenger’s conversations, but to hear that annoying taxi-TV all day long, just not natural, some of the TV installed in the driver’s seat (Nice dose of EMR for the kidney and drives’s heart). The Ionic-HEPA air filter would be a better choice for the passengers and for the drivers! We’re exposed to so much air pollution in the never ending traffic jam!
Frequent Taxi Passenger 11.15.09 at 9:33 pm
I must say that many cab drivers talk on their cell phone when I am in the cab. So it is not true that they do not do that. It makes me feel very unsafe. If they wish to leave the phone on for emergencies but not talk that would be okay for most passengers.
Frequent Taxi Passenger 11.15.09 at 9:34 pm
I just realized something else. Perhaps even having the phone on is not such a good idea if they are listening to other conversations rather than concentrating on driving. Can’t safety alarms of some kind that communicate to a central location be installed that a driver can push/press in emergency? I do understand that cab driving can be very dangerous.
khan ali 12.25.09 at 9:09 pm
Every one look safty of pessanger . Is driver are from other planet who dont require their safty also cell phones are more beneficiary to costomers i.e traffic congestions and also road hazard ( as the city is full of holes) and also if car is struck to pick up passanger by other drivers while going to important meetings and also the event where taxi are badly need to pick up
khan ali 12.25.09 at 9:12 pm
also the best solution is driver are not allowed to talk on phone while passanger on seated but could listen to other driver in case of emergency. I hope TLC commissioner look into matter
concerned 01.07.10 at 9:09 pm
we put an idiot in the mayors office and he put a bigger idiot on our shoulders who does not understand the everyday problems of drivers.
Bloomberg is a capitalist, who is just thinking about ways to make money for the city and does not think about the blood of cab drivers which are struglling to make ends meat for their children.
Nabila 02.01.10 at 10:52 pm
Driving a cab, is like any other job. Aside from having a job, people have families and children that they need to make sure are ok. I understand the abuse of a cell phone, however, I truly don’t think it is fair for them to be fined or punished because of the use of their cell phone. Now if a car accedent occurs, due to the driver being on his phone then i would be able to understand a fine being given.