Comments on: Taxi Strike ‘07: Share Your Stories

By: steve

steve — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:33:05 +0000

Thanks for the f/u, Mork. Maybe T.A. can shed some light.

By: mork

mork — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:55:36 +0000

Re: Penn Station Bike Parking

I just checked out the area where I thought the parking was supposed to be -- it's an underpass between 31st and 3rd street, closer to 6th Ave.

Absolutely no bike parking there.

They probably decided that bike riders are terrorists. I would have to hear the real story though. T.A.?

By: v

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:13:48 +0000

right on, momos.

By: gecko

gecko — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:43:34 +0000

Probably have taken one taxi in the last 7 years; because it was real late, had to drop someone off, and go to work the early next morning. Would much rather walk a mile than take a cab.

Drivers are the working poor and should be much better compensated by at least a factor of two with benefits. The vehicles are dinosaurs and should be hybrid human-electric.

By: jmc

jmc — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:13:06 +0000

Momos- The fare increase of 2006 was granted with the agreement that the cab drivers would install the GPS systems... so they're really breaking their agreement rather than being "forced" to do something.

By: drosejr

drosejr — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:18:02 +0000

Uh, Alex, that $10 flat fare is part of the contingency plan that the City announced as a way to deal with the cabbie strike. Those who are driving get $10/person to take multiple passengers within specified zones in the city, and $5 per extra zone. Pretty good deal for those cabbies who chose not to walk out.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:46:16 +0000

On Second Avenue today yellow cabs were driving off-meter and picking up passengers for $10 flat fares, like gypsy drivers. Outrageous.

By: momos

momos — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:38:20 +0000

If it wasn't clear who's side I'm on, I totally support the striking cab drivers. Their working conditions are abysmal. The strike is fundamentally about economics, not GPS technology. The new gadgets will swallow nearly 10% of a cabbie's already paltry annual income. Is that a fair trade off so that fashion models & newspaper editors can gaze at multimedia advertisements in the backseat (revenue which inevitably will go to Clear Channel and the like)?

By: momos

momos — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:34:30 +0000

C'mon guys, where's the love? Cabbies are not the problem. They're immigrants sitting behind the wheel in NYC traffic for 10 hrs a day, getting screamed at by everybody, and barely making $25-30 grand a year while trying to support many needy and expectant family members back in India, Haiti, Bangladesh or Pakistan. They drive Upper West Siders toting brand new computeres from J&R Music World all the way up town and get a $2 tip, a drop in the bucket towards the $50 gas bill they face at the end of their shift.

And as a regular bike commuter, I can attest that cabbies are far easier to deal with on the road than black cabs, SUVs, and Acura TL drivers. (Luxury sedans with Jersey plates are the worst.)

Taxis obviously aren't the most ideal piece of the transportation system, but they are a form of car sharing even more efficient than ZipCar.

By: v

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:28:36 +0000

credit cards add a bit to your (past destination) length of stay in the cab, so there's a time issue. there's also the cost (% of transaction) to the proprietor. but i imagine that the gains a planner mentions are easily measurable.

maybe cabbies would be more amenable if using a credit card involved a $1 fee? it kind of drives me nuts that ny is the only city in the country where it is hard to use a debit/credit card. europeans might not spend on credit, but they sure do use debit (or pin) cards for everything.

By: Ian D

Ian D — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:05:49 +0000

All the interviews on NY1 this morning were along the lines of, "least-stressful commute in years," "no wonder there's no honking in my neighborhood today," and "I didn't get cut off once (while driving)". And I can say, my 'hood is really quiet! Where are all the car horns? Maybe it's no peace on Earth, but there is peace on Sullivan St.!

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:34:08 +0000

I don't think that Penn Station bike parking facility was ever built.

By: steve

steve — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:20:19 +0000

Mork, thanks for the link. I have never noticed that facility although I have used the entrance near where it is located before. I note that the T.A. announcement speaks in the future tense (facility "will open") and the picture is an artists' rendering. Has anyone used this facility lately?

By: Gilberto

Gilberto — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:46:05 +0000

Is there secure bike parking at Penn Station? Mork's link is from a year ago. Did the parking ever open?

By: a planner

a planner — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:39:35 +0000

Fine, I admit it: I haven't taken a cab in like two years. I forgot about good tipping etiquette.

By: Angus Grieve-Smith

Angus Grieve-Smith — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:33:22 +0000

Planner, you do know they make change, right? I would have just given him two twenties and said "Give me $7 back, please."

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:24:27 +0000

Then again, when is New York City not gripped by a sense of mild annoyance? Actually... mild annoyance would be a good day. Most times I'd say the city is gripped by an overwhelming feeling outright aggravation.

By: v

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:14:38 +0000

how about "another reason to bring the box on the subway." i might have mentioned the cheap tip, too. though maybe there was nothing left after buying the new computer?

waitstaff at restaurants always prefer cash tips for the same reason (so did i when that was me). of course, because i was earning tips (reported or not), the restaurant could legally pay $2.13 an hour. it makes a bad tip even more disheartening.

By: a planner

a planner — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:13:53 +0000

Okay, Okay, the driver did open the trunk for the computer, but this involved nothing more than flipping a switch. But yeah, I admit it: It was a chintzy tip.

I raise the issue not to draw attention to my own cheapness, but to point out that using credit or debit cards allows one to calculate a tip without worrying about what kinds of bills he or she has on hand. Hence, situations like the above won't happen as frequently. So the cabbies are striking against their own self interest.

By: mork

mork — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:07:40 +0000

Re: Bike Parking at Penn Station

Is this not available any longer?

http://www.transalt.org/press/magazine/024Fall/06pennstation.html