Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Taxi Workers Decide to Strike...Or Not
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 24, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 24, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If you rely on taxis, you may want to adjust your transportation plans: The Taxi Workers Alliance says that drivers it represents will strike on September 5 and 6 to protest the Taxi and Limousine Commission's decision to add GPS systems to all yellow cabs. But then the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, another advocacy group, said that there would be no strike (with spokesman Fernando Mateo saying, "Read my lips: There will be no strike."). Our thoughts: Pray there's no unusual weather event and take mass transit or your bike.
The NY Times reports that opposing viewpoints come from groups who are "vying for the right to speak for city cabdrivers." The TWA believes that GPS systems present an invasion of privacy, while the NYSFTD says, "You want privacy, you don't drive a cab." The TWA's Bhairavi Desai says there are 40,000 drivers willing to strike, and questioned the use of GPS: "They're not navigational, cannot be used for dispatching, and serve no purpose to the driver or the public." Well, there is the supposed potential of the TLC being able to track down a cab for a passenger (who has left something in it) with GPS
The TWA has about 10,000 members (there are around 44,000 taxi drivers in total, driving 13,000 cabs, according to the Daily News). Taxi drivers would lose $200 a day if they went on a strike, which led a TLC source to tell the News, "Owner drivers are doing very nicely, and lease drivers are paying every day, whether they work or not, and they don't want to be losing money. Maybe a handful of fleet drivers would be sympathetic and strike, but you won't notice a difference." At any rate, the Office of Emergency Management is developing taxi-strike contingency plans.
The last taxi strike was in 1998, when drivers protested new rules and higher fines. Desai also led that strike, which involved 40,000 drivers; then-Mayor Giuliani threatened to allow vans and livery cabs to pick up passengers.
Photograph of a Grand Central taxi line by Unlisted Sightings on Flickr
Tagged
Bhairavi Desai
bike
daily news
emergency management
flickr
giuliani
grand central
Limousine Commission
mass transit
mayor
mayor giuliani
money
new york
new york state
New York State Federation
news
News: NYC
ny times
office
photos
protest
strike
taxi drivers
taxis
the office
The Taxi
The Taxi Workers Alliance
tlc
transportation
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Published Oct 10, 2026
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .