New York City waives taxi owner fees amid suicides, hardship

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 1:44 pm CDT, Monday, October 29, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is waiving nearly $20 million in fees owed by taxi cab owners in an effort to ease their financial burden after a string of driver suicides.

Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi tells Monday's New York Post that it's prudent to pause collection of the fees "at a time when every penny counts" for taxi owners.

Seven drivers have died by suicide in the city this year.

Advocates say the death points to continuing hardships faced by drivers since the advent of ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/New-York-City-waives-taxi-owner-fees-amid-13344913.php

[ck4829]

1. Why are they doing this? The Dow is so awesome right now!

[iluvtennis]

2. +++ agree. Tax breach and DOW advances are for wealthy and those who fortunate enough to

have stock accounts. Taxi cab drivers are working class ppl, doubt they have the resources to invest in stocks.

Glad NY is waiving the taxes

[KCDebbie]

3. Just like cell phones with cameras put camera manufacturers

Nearly out of business, Lyft and Uber is giving traditional taxi services a tough row to hoe...

[christx30]

4. Yep. Offering better service

And better prices is usually bad for competitive companies. But it’s good for customers.
My mom was trying to get to a Wendy Davis event when she was running for governor, and called the cab like 2 hours before she had to be there. They just never arrived at all. She called them several times, but couldn’t get anyone to give a crap. She ended up missing the event. Now she uses Uber exclusively.
If you want to stay in business, actually serve your customers. Or someone else will.

[whathehell]

6. Really?

Before you make that claim, I'd urge you to compare the number of assaults perpetrated on passengers by Uber & Lyft drivers versus those by licensed taxi drivers.

As a woman, I feel much safer with.the latter.

[christx30]

8. There's noting stopping you from taking a cab.

Well, unless they don't show up.
I won't. I've been stranded by them too many times to use them. I'm just glad that there is an alternative. And, judging by the fact that taxi companies are losing to the likes of Uber and Lyft, a large section of the population agrees with me.

[whathehell]

9. Um, yeah, like there's nothing stopping you from taking Uber

so I don't think that's actually the issue, lol.

That said, I don't know where you live, but the cabs in my area
show up.

As for all those who "agree" with you, I'm gonna bet you're a guy
..No woman I know will take Uber or Lyft because they distrust the drivers.. Have a good one.

[KCDebbie]

11. I'm not understanding why you are huffy with me...

I'm just pointing out that if traditional taxi services don't figure out how to compete with Lyft or Uber, if taxi service business is drying up to the point that taxi drivers are committing suicide, taxi services will go the way of the do-do bird...

Class and status and economic opportunity is irrelevant - finding customers to purchase your services is the name of the game. Lyft and Uber are expanding their businesses and traditional taxi services are unable to be competitive doing the same old things...

[whathehell]

5. I'd have to call that an 'apples ane oranges" comparison

Given that taxi drivers are hardly in the same economic class as camera manugacturers.

[KCDebbie]

7. I didn't say anything about economic class. ..

I merely pointed out that traditional taxi services need to make major changes to their marketing strategy and change the way they deliver services in order to compete with Uber and Lyft!

Apples and apples!

[whathehell]

10. No, but maybe you should have..

Given that the focus of the OP was on the hardships brought upon the workers, even if so few here seem to care about that.

[KCDebbie]

12. If traditional taxi services and their drivers want to

Compete with Uber and Lyft, they need to find new ways to compete, they need to change/evolve the way they reach customers.

And they need to do it quickly before the traditional taxi services industry goes out of business...

Your angry attitude suggests that of a scared coal miner who is angry that the world is moving to solar power...

[whathehell]

14. Lol..You tell them, dear

Since neither I nor anyone I know drives a cab, I'm not that personally invested, let alone "scared".

Uber's Chief Executive was fired for sex harrassement on top of lax business practices that allowed violent criminals to drive for them.
In the wake of all that, they've had to start a "we've changed" apology ad campaign...

You're angry, defensive attitude tells me you're less sure of their future then you'd have us believe.

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. The problem is that drivers have generally gone into debt

to purchase their medallions and there has been no loan adjustments considering that medallions that once went for iver $1Million now fetch less than half that.