The life of New York taxi drivers: debts and suicides

The fierce competition from Uber and Lift virtually deprives drivers of yellow cabs of livelihoods.

Фото: Depositphotos

Duck Shifter, a New York driver with an 30-year experience came to the City Council. A few hours before, he posted a list of his problems on Facebook:

- he needs to work more than 100 hours a week;

- he lost his health insurance;

— He owes thousands of dollars on credit cards.

Shifter accused the city administration of all his problems and he shot himself in front of the city council building.

Photo: video frame

Shifter was not the only one. Over the past 4 of the month there were four taxi drivers who could not live like this. They were strangled by debts, city fines and their own inability to feed their families. In memory of them, activists brought four coffins to the City Council.

Photo: video frame

The yellow cab is a symbol of New York just like skyscrapers or the Statue of Liberty. Once for migrants who make up 90% of taxi drivers, this was a desirable job. The medallion — a license for driving a yellow taxi — cost under a million dollars, but no one doubted that it was a profitable investment. The medallion could be sold, rented or even inherited. And the drivers told the story of their lives, other passengers, creating an oral chronicle of the metropolis.

“For decades, New York City's yellow cab system has worked well,” says New York City Councilman Barry Grodenchik. “It wasn’t perfect, but it worked for both taxi drivers and citizens. Taxi drivers earned good money, paid for the education of their children, had a normal pension, but now the system does not work. The license price has dropped by 90%. The city authorities must solve this problem.”

The problem arose five years ago, even during the administration of Michael Bloomberg, when a legal private importer appeared on the street: Uber and Lyft. New Yorkers began to develop a taxi order through a mobile application, since the number of yellow taxis was already limited by the authorities - no more than 13,5 thousands. But for shipping companies, quotas were not introduced. Today in the city the number of private traders competing with licensed taxi drivers is estimated at 60 thousand, that is, almost 5 times more than drivers of yellow taxis.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission enforces the laws that the city council adopts for taxis.

Photo: video frame

"About three years ago, the city council put for consideration a bill that would limit the number of taxis uber and lyft on the streets of the city. The mayor supported this bill, and we supported it. But the bill did not pass because many lobbyists opposed it,” said Bill Heinzen, deputy head of the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission.

While corporate interests win, the Commission is trying to help taxi drivers in other ways. Created two applications to call the yellow taxi. Tariffs for travel have become more flexible, like competitors. However, the future of yellow taxis and their drivers can hardly be called rainbow.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Expensive taxis, queues and tasteless food: the main mistakes of tourists in New York

From car to hire to millionaires: how Russians earn a taxi in New York

The first “noise map” appeared in the USA: we compare New York and New Jersey

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.