|
Taking up the length of a city block, hundreds of liver cab drivers, base owners, radio dispatchers, and families gathered this past week at Gov. Cuomo’s midtown offices, holding up signs urging Cuomo to sign the bill that would legalize street hails.
Story and photos by Gloria Pazmiño
Hundreds of livery cab drivers gathered in front of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office in Midtown this past Wed., Sept 28th to demand that the governor sign the livery street hail permit legislation which would allow nearly 30,000 livery cabs to perform curb side pickups in Northern Manhattan and the outer boroughs.
Although the practice is common in Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx, and the outer boroughs, only yellow cabs are permitted to pick up street hails, forcing livery cab drivers to only pick up customers who place a call to their respective bases or otherwise risk being ticketed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
Taking up the length of a city block, drivers, base owners, radio dispatchers, and families gathered behind the barricades holding up signs urging the governor to sign the bill.
The bill, which received large majority support in the State legislature this past summer, would legalize an industry which, according to supporters, has been tirelessly servicing areas neglected by the medallion cabs for the past four decades.
“This is an industry made up of hard-working people who have serviced these communities for many years and they deserve to be legalized and be allowed to work,” said Cira Angeles, representing the Livery Base Owners Association Inc.
“Let us work. Please sign the bill,” read the sign held up by Clara Santiago, who has worked at the Riverside livery car base in Washington Heights for the past 21 years. Santiago explained that she attended the rally to support all her colleagues.
“Governor Cuomo needs to sign this bill. We are desperate, and we do not want to work in fear that a TLC inspector will fine us,” said Santiago. “We want to have the freedom to work, and the security. We cannot afford the fines, gas, and the parking, and all the other expenses that go into this job.”
Letters from different legislative bodies have also been sent to Gov. Cuomo’s office voicing support for the bill. Among them was the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, whose chair, New York State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson wrote that “the legislation recognizes that the livery industry is essential to our districts and the jobs and economic activity they support are critical to the vitality of these communities.”
Representing the Bronx at the rally, Raulio Abreu, owner of Kiss Car Service Inc., said he had come to the march to support the effort of all livery cab drivers in the city. A cab driver for more than 12 years, Abreu now employs 350 drivers who provide most of their services in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan.
“I’m here to speak up in support for this bill so we are allowed to pick up street hails,” said Abreu. “Yellow cabs do not go to Bronx. Instead, we are there to provide that service.”
Noting that his base has been struggling to pay the amount of fines they get every month, Abreu said he hopes the bill is signed sooner than later so everyone can get back to work without the worry of expensive fines and ticketing hanging over their heads.
In a show of solidarity, different members of the livery cab industries from Queens and Brooklyn were present as well, as was the Executive Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Bhairavi Desai. The Alliance represents yellow cabdrivers.
Rosendo Aponte, a livery cab driver, held up a hand-made sign that echoed many of the calls for Gov. Cuomo to legalize pick-ups by street hail of passengers, a practice common throughout Northern Manhattan and the Bronx, where yellow cabs are scarce.
“We’re here to tell you that the taxi drivers of New York City are standing tall and proud with our livery brothers and sisters,” said Desai. “We do not want the rich corporations to keep working people back. If they are not the ones who take the risk to work, they should not be the ones who make decisions. We are the people on the street,” she said, as passing-by yellow cabs honked their honks in approval and support of the rally.
Councilmember Robert Jackson also attended the rally, and he reminded Governor Cuomo of his support for small businesses and urged him to sign the bill.
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo, we know you can hear us on the 48th floor, if you are really for small business, sign this bill so they can work legally,” he shouted to the crowd.
“I work in the entire City. My base is in the Heights, but we are all willing to bring the client wherever they’re going,” said Virgilio Lajara, a driver with High Class Car Service in Northern Manhattan.
Lajara has been driving livery cabs for over 13 years, and said that the service the livery cab industry provides must be protected because they’re willing to travel anywhere the customers wants, with the assurance they will be safe and comfortable.
“We have forged this industry, and through all these years we have earned [this] right, because yellow cabs decided our neighborhoods were not safe or good enough for them,” said Lajara.
Damian Rodriguez, president of First Class Car Service in Inwood also addressed the crowd. “I am happy to know that there is all this support for our industry. We have been run over for more than 40 years by agencies in this city, [but] we are now stronger than ever united as one industry that demands its rights.”
“We know the Governor will not turn his back on this working class,” said Rodriguez. “We have earned this right, and he needs to sign the bill.”
|
