New York Taxi Drivers Split Over GPS Technology, Possible Strike

[newcster68]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/newcster68/FILESHARINGTALK/taxi.pngA new plan to equip all New York City taxis with GPS tracking technology has riled many drivers, with at least one group threatening to mount a two-day strike in September. That's not likely to alter the Taxi & Limousine Commission's plan to enact the regulation, though, which is meant to add convenience, safety and efficiency features for both passengers and drivers.

Leaders of the 10,000-member New York Taxi Workers Alliance want cabbies to strike, and they've announced dates on which they're urging the city's 13,187 medallion yellow taxicab drivers to walk off the job.

If drivers heed the call, the strike would start at 5 a.m. on September 5th and run through September 6th.
"We call upon on all drivers to stand in unity and demand to be heard," declared Executive Director Bhairavi Desai. "And we ask the public who drivers serve 24-hours to stand with us in our fight for dignity."

Medallion yellow taxicabs serve over 800,000 riders a day, including 14,000 trips from the city's two airports.

The Taxi Workers Alliance says it's making the call for a strike because of the Taxi and Limousine Commission's effort to equip all cabs with equipment that includes GPS-based maps. The initiative will also allow passengers to swipe a credit card in virtually all yellow cabs.

:source: Source: technewsworld.com (http://www.technewsworld.com/story/59021.html)

This really yanks my chain!! :angry:

20 years ago if this technology had come out you would not hear one "AMERICAN" Taxi Driver complain about having GPS in their cabs. Pardon my rudeness but these DAMN foreign Taxi Drivers think they can come over to the USA and run crap the way they want. I know this for a fact as I am A cab driver and these mother foes (nicely said) STINK, ARE NAST, RUDE, and do nothing but rip the american customers off. The only reason why they do not want GPS is because 95% of them would get freakin caught doing Illegal things and using their job as cover. I KNOW cause I see it all the time.

We or should I say myself and the owner of my cab company tried to do this with Verizon phones in every cab that had GPS and the drivers did the same thing.. nothing but bitched! :angry:

I tell you if I ever won the Lotto and opened my own Taxi business and these foreign drivers came to me and complained, I would tell them, "You don't like it, go pack your suitcase and go back home"

My 2 cents and I have more but I might say hateful things about those bastards.

[disko.balls]

The expense of outfitting the vehicles -- between US$2,500 and $5,000 each
I'm confused who pays this?

[Sextent]

So you don't think this is a bit big brotheresque.

I can understand how it helps customers to have a gps device in the vehicle, to help with routes. However how does putting a tracker in the cab help.

It also appears to me that it's not the commission who would be paying for this. It appears to me that the commission is saying "We want to track where you are all the time and what speed you are doing. Oh and you can pay for it".

Would also be kind of handy if you wanted to track the movement of someone in the cab. That would be cool if you were the cops. make your surveillance a bit easier.

I think your objections are probably more based on


I know this for a fact as I am A cab driver and these mother foes (nicely said) STINK, ARE NAST, RUDE, and do nothing but rip the american customers off. The only reason why they do not want GPS is because 95% of them would get freakin caught doing Illegal things and using their job as cover. I KNOW cause I see it all the time.

Just my 2 pence worth.