Thanking our hard-working cabbies

Last week, several companies tipped their hats at the men and women who chauffeured tourists, city residents, and business people on 172 million taxi trips last year, but are not always tipped themselves.
In honor of New York City’s cab drivers, the Port Authority and the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) teamed up with NYC & Company, British Petroleum (BP), and American Airlines for a morning of games and giveaways, including plane tickets handed out to one lucky cabbie tuned into CD101.9.
“Thank you for helping our tourist industry,” said Cristyne L. Nicholas, president and CEO for NYC & Company, to cabbies exiting the event. A woman dressed and painted as the Statue of Liberty stood stoically at her side.
If Mangidt Singh had his wish, every day would be “Taxi Driver Appreciation Day.” “It’s beautiful; it’s nice; it’s great,” Singh said, of the mini-event held on Thursday, May 18 at LaGuardia Airport’s central taxi holding lot.
The best part for Singh, a Richmond Hill resident - who has been driving a cab for two years - was receiving a $10 BP gas card.
Although the card would cover only a third of the cost to fill up Singh’s Ford Crown Victoria - the standard issue cab - he was very appreciative.
“I needed that,” he said gleefully.
For Leroy Agnew, the event was more about getting some good publicity for the city’s cab drivers, an often underappreciated and overworked group.
“There are good drivers, and there are not so good ones,” he said, of the profession.
Moreover, with gas prices climbing ever closer to the $4 mark, Agnew, who has worked as a cab driver for over 35 years, said that now, more than ever, taxi drivers should be valued.
“It’s so high now. You just don’t cruise around too much anymore, because the more you cruise, the more gas you burn,” he said, laughing that he contemplated walking to the LaGuardia lot from his house in East Elmhurst to save on gas.