All Hail a New Era for Livery Cabs

Yesterday the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to approve new rules that will allow people to hail livery cabs from the street legally, as opposed to calling and reserving one in advance. From the Times article on the vote: “It was far from a smooth journey to the commission’s vote, with the latest obstacle on Wednesday, when the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a lobbying group, sued the commission, seeking an injunction to block the rules. The lawsuit argues that the new rules violate the rights of yellow taxi medallion owners and drivers paying for the legally protected, ‘exclusive’ right to pick up street hails. Many details of the new livery cars, including what uniform color they will be, have yet to be decided, but commission officials were confident the details would be sorted out quickly.” The commission will issue up to 18,000 medallions for car service vehicles over the next three years, according to the story, but it will also allow for the sale of up to 6,000 licenses to begin this summer. The Wall Street Journal notes the following: “The livery licenses are set to sell for about $1,500 each. Yellow-cab medallions have sold for $1 million or more.”
Angering Taxi Drivers, Panel Adopts Plan on Hailing Livery Cabs [NY Times]
Taxis Given Green Light [WSJ]
Photo by bitchcakesny