City Presents Outer Boroughs Taxi Plan to CB 11

The city presented its plan for outer borough taxis to Community Board 11 at the group’s meeting on Monday, but a representative for the Livery Roundtable said he believed the initiative could make it more difficult for Queens residents to hail a cab.

Under the city’s proposal, a total 6,000 new yellow taxi medallions would be sold beginning July 2012. The plan would increase the fleet of taxis on the streets of the outer boroughs and Northern Manhattan.

“Due to the lack of yellow taxis outside of Manhattan, street service is often unavailable,” said Justine Johnson, of the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The new cabs would have metered fares and GPS systems. Customers would be able to use debit and credit cards to pay for rides.

“These vehicles will not be cruising around streets, but will focus more on cluster zones, such as train stations, malls or shopping outlets,” Johnson said.

But Guy Palumbo, executive director of the Livery Roundtable, said he believed the city’s plan posed some problems.

Livery Roundtable represents 18,000 livery drivers, base operators and dispatchers.

“We fully agree with the mayor that there should be taxi service in the boroughs, but we disagree with the details,” he said. “The driver gets no benefit. Every three years, he has to renew.”

He also said that a person’s ride could be delayed if they call for a cab and then the driver decides to stop for another fare before picking them up.

But TLC representatives said drivers would not be required to pick someone up if they are on a dispatched call.

Community Board 11 voted 27-10 in favor of sending a letter that would call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to wait to hear all concerns of the Livery Roundtable before signing a street hail legislation bill that has been passed by the state’s Assembly and Senate.

State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, stopped by the meeting to voice his opposition to the plan.

“It would legalize what has been a fleet of cars illegally picking up passengers,” he said. “It will devalue your medallion. We don’t know what type of crowd this will bring into the community.”