Livery Cab Drivers Protest Mayor's New Medallion Plan

Elected officials from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, along with more than 700 livery cab drivers representing the outer boroughs gathered around the steps of city hall this morning to protest the mayor’s new plan to bring an additional 1,500 yellow taxi medallions to New York City—a plan, they say, does not include the input of the 22,000 drivers that represent the livery cab industry.

Taxi medallions are the most coveted possession of any cab driver or company, as they are an official, legal recognition of taxi’s ability to do street hails. Once available, they are sold through auctions and go for an average of $700,000 each.

The livery cab drivers say the mayor’s new plan, which allows for four livery cab licenses per medallion (6,000 total), is far too expensive, and will pose a great threat to the ability of current livery drivers in the outer boroughs to compete in the business and survive.

“The livery taxi industry is saying, we support the state to vote for and approve 1,500 more medallions to the yellow taxi industry. We are fine with that,” said City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez of the Bronx. “But what about the livery taxi industry? This is nothing related to affordable when the people from the livery taxi industry are making $15,000 - $25,000 a year.

"Who can afford a medallion for $600,000 - $1 million? Who’s going to give them a loan for that?”

Most livery taxi companies do not own medallions. And although many livery drivers do street hails, technically, it is illegal. Livery taxi drivers say that the reality is, when it comes to being able to afford a medallion, they cannot compete with the yellow cab companies.

The ability for yellow taxis to out-purchase, and then acquire four livery licenses per medallion to operate in the outer boroughs will put at a huge disadvantage the current livery cab drivers who service the more than 6 million residents who realy on livery cars daily.

The new medallions will only sanction 6,000 new licenses, pushing the other 16,000 underground, according to the New York Association of Independent Taxi Drivers.

“They are pushing us to disappear out of this area,” said Dagoberdo Marin, manager of Myrtle Cab company in Bed-Stuy. “They will end up controlling this area, and a lot of people and community members will lose their jobs.”

The protesters pointed out that livery cab drivers have been around for more than four decades, picking up passengers in the outer boroughs yellow taxi cab drivers for years had refused to do so.

“It’s been so long that we’ve been serving this community, 41 years,” said Kane Mamadou, head of the African-Based Cab Owners Association in Brooklyn. “This is a life-changing, decision-making moment, and I’m asking officials to put on the breaks; investigate this more.”

In the letter addressing the mayor, the livery driver representatives asked for more discussion and hearings around the plan – one that would include them – before a final plan is put forward.

“We need to all work together to make this cab industry affordable to the entire community,” said Mamadou.