City Shows A Smaller 'Sea of Yellow'

NEW YORK (AP)  -- The army of yellow cabs that trolls the city's streets was somewhat smaller than usual Wednesday, as some drivers idled their cars to protest new GPS technology the city wants installed in all taxis.

Exactly how many of the city's 44,000 licensed taxi drivers went on strike was difficult to gauge: The group leading the work stoppage called it a "resounding success," while city officials said disruption was minimal.

"Today is our answer to every lie, every misrepresentation, every mistruth that has come out of the TLC's mouth," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, referring to the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission.

1010 WINS Audio: Stan Brooks Reports

At City Hall, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the strike had a "limited impact, if at all."

"The city has not come to a stop and people are getting where they need to go," he said.

1010 WINS Audio: Mayor Bloomberg's News Conference

Officials put the number of striking cabbies at about 20 percent; Desai's group put it at more than 90 percent.

1010 WINS Traffic Updates

The job action caused some headaches in midtown Manhattan and at LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, where lines for cabs were longer than usual in the morning.

1010 WINS Audio: Steve Sandberg Reports From LaGuardia Airport

But at John F. Kennedy International Airport, arriving passengers at Terminal 4 seemed to have no problem. A number of cabs were lined up, just waiting for riders. At least some of the drivers expressed support for their striking colleagues.

Yasser El-Sayed said he stayed on the job Wednesday because he needed to pay his bills. "I can't afford to strike," he said.

But outside Pennsylvania Station, there were many more people than cabs during the morning rush hour. After waiting almost 20 minutes, financial analyst Matt Achilarre had no sympathy for the striking drivers.

1010 WINS Audio: John Montone Reports From NY's Penn Station

"It's pointless, they're not making any statements," said Achilarre, who commutes into Manhattan by train from New Jersey. "I applaud the cabbies that are working. They'll get a windfall."

The city had put a contingency plan in place, allowing nonstriking drivers to offer group rides, meaning they could pick up multiple separate passengers, and discounted flat fares.

Read: City's Taxi Strike Contingency Plan

At the heart of the conflict are new rules requiring all cabs to have global-positioning system technology and video screens that will let passengers pay by credit card, check news stories and monitor the location of the cab. The cabs must have the new technology as they come up for inspection starting Oct. 1.

TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said nearly 1,600 cabs already have the technology voluntarily.

The taxi commission says the technology, by eliminating cash, could mean more riders and bigger fares for drivers. It also says the GPS will help drivers avoid traffic and help passengers reclaim lost property.

1010 WINS Audio: Mona Rivera Reports

The alliance, which is an advocacy group, not a labor union, fears the equipment could be used to track drivers' movements. It also says drivers will get stuck paying hefty fees to cover credit card transactions, and it questions whether the technology will work as well and as smoothly as promised.

Several other drivers' groups that represent thousands of city cab drivers have released statements opposing the strike.

The alliance organized a one-day strike in 1998 that caused headaches for many residents and tourists, while city officials were forced to line up replacement buses and vans.

The alliance picked a busy stretch for a possible job action, with the city hosting the U.S. Open tennis tournament and Fashion Week.
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Message From The Long Island Railroad

Due to a 48-hour work stoppage by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, fewer taxis may be operating today. Customers are advised to consider the LIRR, buses or subways as alternatives.

We would also like to remind customers traveling to Kennedy Airport today of the AirTrain JFK option. AirTrain JFK service between Jamaica Station and JFK may be accessed at Penn Station via the LIRR to Jamaica. Off peak LIRR tickets between Penn Station and Jamaica (Zone 1 to 3) cost $5.00, peak $7.00. AirTrain JFK tickets cost an additional $5.00.