Hail a taxi and they will come?

Hailing a cab may be less troublesome for Queens commuters with the possible expansion of taxi service to the outer boroughs, but not everyone is welcoming the change.
Under a new plan being proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Yellow Cab would add 6,000 new cabs that would be considered “borough only cabs.”
These taxis would only be allowed to pick up customers in the outer boroughs and transport them to Manhattan. However, they would not be able to bring Manhattan customers to the outer boroughs, according to the legislation.
The new cabs wouldn’t be yellow, but they would be metered and would have the right to pick up fares on the street, which livery cabs are not supposed to do.
According to David Yassky, the City Taxi and Limousine Commissioner, the new service will give many New Yorkers another safe and reliable option for transportation. The program also aims to improve taxi availability while providing “yellow-taxi like amenities” to the outer boroughs.
However, not everyone is hailing this plan as a good idea. Hundreds of drivers and owners from the livery industry gathered with elected officials on the steps of City Hall on Thursday, May 26. They are seeing red over the yellow cabs and want the TLC to take their concerns into account.
“These drivers and base owners have served our community faithfully for decades and the TLC needs to recognize that service,” said Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez. “The ‘five borough taxi plan’ as it’s being discussed right now is only accessible for the wealthiest yellow taxi base owners. This would serve to make the rich richer, a ‘business strategy’ that could put over 20,000 livery industry members in our community out of work and we won’t stand for it.”
While an official plan has yet to be presented to the City Council, the 6,000 additional yellow taxis would be added by auctioning off medallions. These medallions typically sell for close to $700,000 – a price that Rodriguez said is out of reach for most livery taxi drivers.
Bhairavi Desai, the executive director for the Taxi Workers Alliance (TWA), described possible problems that will most likely result in the expansion of the Yellow Cab Service.
“I was in Sunnyside this Saturday and I counted 12 Yellow Cabs at one street light,” she said. “We need to make sure there is an actual demand before supplying more cabs, otherwise it’s a gamble for cab drivers.
Despite the doubts and concerns, the TLC hopes to see the new plan implemented soon.
“We are confident that we will see the necessary legislation introduced before the legislative session ends in late June,” said Allan Fronberg, a TLC representative.