Sep 6, 2007 6:28 am US/Eastern
Taxi Strike: Resounding Success Or Non-Event?
GPS Privacy Concerns, Credit Card Fees At Issue
by Magee Hickey
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Some New York City taxi drivers don't like the idea of GPS and electronic fare systems in their cabs. (File photo)
Gregg Geller/CBS
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Stay with CBS 2 News and WCBSTV.com for the latest on the strike.
CBS
The New York City taxi strike entered its second day Thursday, but is it having much of an impact? Some are calling it the "taxi strike that isn't," but organizers are calling the curbed cab action a resounding success.
On Wednesday, Bhairavi Desai, co-founder of the Taxi Workers Alliance, the main group behind the strike, said, "We would say over 12,500 of the cabs are off the road today. That's what we are counting."
With about 13,000 cabs servicing the city, Desai's estimation was likely inflated for spin, but there was a noticeable decrease in cabs on duty at major hubs such as Penn and Grand Central stations.
The mayor downplayed that number, saying the strike had only a limited effect on the city, even calling it a "non-strike" or a partial strike.
"Our best estimate is the majority of yellow cabs are operating normally," he said Wednesday, adding that 75 percent of fleet cabs were on the streets versus 93 percent the Wednesday before.
"Overall, I can say it's had limited effect and was mitigated by the contingency plan we put into effect," Bloomberg said.
For the entire contingency plan,
click here.Taxi rider Carol Maher said, "It's great. People share. I think it's great."
But the mayor's contingency plan calling for passengers doubling or tripling up in a single cab sometimes meant the passenger ended up paying more the usual. That's because of the temporary fare structure involving zones designed in part to convince drivers to report to duty by offering a bigger payday.
So passengers going from one zone to another actually often paid more than their usual fare.
Some passengers at Port Authority told CBS 2 they waited up to 25 minutes to hail a cab.
Cabbies that stayed on the job seemed to take the strike in stride.
"I made $150 more yesterday," one driver told CBS 2 News Thursday.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance called the strike a success because it drew attention to their opposition to GPS and credit card use in yellow cabs.
The electronic routing device at the center of the storm allows passengers to see where they are going, but it also allows cabbies to be tracked, which drivers say is an invasion of privacy.
They're also upset with the installation of credit card payment devices they say eats into their profits because of processing fees.
Not all drivers were convinced a strike would be effective though. Some would rather take advantage of the demand for cabs. Cab driver Jimmy Baldwin, who already has the GPS in his car, took the opportunity to make some extra money.
"It's a done deal. It's already passed by the city, striking doesn't solve the problem," Baldwin said.
Stay with CBS 2 HD and wcbstv.com for the latest on the taxi strike.
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