NOVEMBERJULY 20102014 •• TAXITAXI INSIDERINSIDER •• PAGEPAGE 11 INSIDER VOL. 15, NO. 11 “The Voice of the NYC Transportation Industry.” NOVEMBER 2014 Letters Start on Page 3 EDITORIAL • By David Pollack Insider News Page 5 • Taxi Drivers and Ebola Updated Relief Stands Thankfully there is a radio show where you can Taxi Dave (that’s me!) not only had the Chairwoman get fi rst hand information needed to answer any of of the TLC, Meera Joshi discuss fears of the Ebola Page 6 your questions whether industry related or even virus, but I had Dr. Jay Varma, a spokesperson from • health related. the NYC Department of Health answering all ques- Taxi Attorney Before we get into Ebola, TLC Chair- tions that drivers brought to “Taxi Dave’s” By Michael Spevack woman Joshi stated that the TLC will attention. How does Ebola spread? What be sending out warning letters to drivers is the best means of prevention and pro- Page 7 instead of summonses for a red light tection? • camera offense. “Vision Zero is not Chairwoman Joshi stated, “Thank you How I Became A Star about penalties,” she stated. To hear this for reaching out to the Department of By Abe Mittleman and much more, listen to this link: http:// Health. The myth of how Ebola spreads is www.wor710.com/media/podcast-the- spreading incredibly faster than the actual Page 15 taxi-dave-show-TaxiInsider/the-taxi-dave- disease ever could. It is really important to • show-102614-25479519/ separate facts from fi ction and the Depart- Street Talk Folks, if you want fi rst hand infor- ment of Health has been doing an amazing By Erhan Tuncel mation, every Sunday evening at 8:00 job in getting that message out there and PM listen to WOR-710 radio to TAXI DAVE. The reaching out. The spokesperson on your show is a Page 17 Commissioner of the DOT, Polly Trottenberg is our tremendous idea.” • guest this Sunday November 2nd. You can call or “We are coordinating with the Port Authority and Quotable Quotes email this live show. with the Department of Health to make visits to JFK Page 19 Worried about contracting the Ebola virus, taxi and LaGuardia this week, where we here we can driver Avner called Taxi Dave’s radio show and asked have some information booths, some regular health • if it was ok to pick up from the JFK Terminal where screening, and to get the plain facts out there on how About Your Taxes passengers arrive from Africa. So this past Sunday (Continued on Page 6) By Robert J. Mackle Summonses STOPPED AT, at 148th Street. He pulled me over and Page 19 gave me a summons for not stopping. I asked him how • far away he thought he was from the stop sign and he IATR Release responded the same as always, 50 yards. I measured By Matthew W. Daus the distance that the offi cer observed me at 147 yards away, defi nitely enough to impair his ability for a clear Page 21 observation. • Recently at 10:00 AM, I was turning onto 7th Economy Avenue from 35th Street. I waited in the left lane on Page 27 & 34 35th Street until I could turn left legally. When I fi nally turned onto 7th Avenue, the vehicle in front of me was • stopped as the traffi c light changed. So I went around Hotel Listing the car in front of me and that is when a police offi cer Page 28 and 30 waved me over to tell me that I did nothing wrong, • but he wanted my driver’s license. I asked him why, and he stated that he saw me in the left lane on 35th Insider Directory Street and that I turned onto 7th Avenue LEGALLY. Page 32 Dear Taxi Dave, But when the offi cer returned from his car he gave me • I have been driving since 1984 and it is unbelievable two summonses: One for improper turn and one for what is going on with summonses in today’s driving Events and More failing to yield to a pedestrian! He did this without environment in New York city. Until very recently, it saying one word. Start on Page 29 was a rarity for me to ever get a summons. I have a I especially feel sorry for new immigrants just begin- • pilot’s license and I am an electrical engineer. I can ning.We cannot be slaves any more. I now understand Around The World judge distances extremely well as I use this skill as a why drivers do not prefer driving yellow cabs. pilot. A Port Authority police offi cer was about 150 Youssef M. Ibrahim Page 46 yards away from a stop sign THAT I DEFINITELY See more drivers starting on page 2. PAGE 2 • TAXI INSIDER • NOVEMBER 2014 JULY 2010 • TAXI INSIDER • PAGE 1 LETTERS INSIDER More Info TLC! NYP Targeting Publisher & Yellow Cabs Editor-in-Chief David Pollack Columnists Matthew Daus, Esq. Tony Falese Larry Fisher Ira Goldstein, Esq. Dear Taxi Dave, I have been driving for 14 years and I have never Bob Mackle seen NYPD target yellow cabs like they are today. Abe Mittleman Dear Taxi Dave, When you look at every police car that has stopped I agree with all the regulatory changes made in a vehicle, 80% are yellow cabs. I was turning by Alan Plafka the taxi industry. I wish the TLC would have more Junction Blvd by the Sears Mall on Queens Blvd. information about rules on their website. And an- and turned through a clear crosswalk. A police of- Michael Spevack, Esq. other thing, many drivers do not have computers so fi cer was writing a ticket to another vehicle to my the TLC should have a newspaper to give drivers right. On the next block, that offi cer drove behind Mark Twain information. me and gave me a summons for failing to yield to Atalanta Abdullah a pedestrian, a complete lie. He never even looked Driver 25 years at the empty crosswalk. I know how to drive safely because this license is my living. If I lose it I am not Layout & Graphics TLC trained to do anything else. I pay about 20-25% of Dragonfl y Graphics LLC It’s Not Our Problem my money for TLC, DMV, parking tickets and taxi related expenses. Parvez M. Essani Driving 14 Years without a problem till recently Taxi Insider Fare Stealing 14 Alexander Drive Washingtonville, NY 10992 Phone: (718) 706-TAXI(8294) — E-mail:[email protected] — Copyright © 2014 by TAXI INSIDER. All Dear Taxi Dave, My father had Parkinson’s Disease which natu- rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor Dear Taxi Dave, any part therof may be reproduced, copied, rally deteriorated his body and ultimately he could not move. I was with him most days for two years Although I believe the fare structure is good from or transmitted in any form, electronic or an owner operator point of view, there are a few things mechanical including photocopying, mi- lifting him, doing his cleaning etc. This was the documented reason I could not drive 180 shifts over the Taxi Commission needs to know. Town cars and crofi lming, recording or by any information UBER cars are stealing our fares. On any given day retrieving system without the express written a two year period. I spoke with offi cials at the TLC who did not want to hear my problems. The TLC one can see this from 2:30 - 8:15 PM on 5th Avenue. permission of the publishers. The copyright I also see town cars with license plates from Carolina, is extended to the design and text created would not negotiate the $6,000 and $7,000 settlement letter amounts. New Jersey and private plates getting Out-Of-Town for advertisements. This publication will and airport fares from doormen at many hotels. Green not be responsible for errors in advertise- Terence Canahan ment beyond the cost of the space occupied Driver (Continued on Page 3) by the error. Bylined articles represent the sole opinion of the writer and are not neces- sarily in accordance with the views of TAXI TAXI DAVE’S RADIO SHOW INSIDER. This Publication reserves the right to WOR-710AM limit or refuse advertising it deems objec- tionable. TAXI INSIDER is published monthly at 8:00 – 9:00 PM a subscription rate of $48.00 per year. EVERY SUNDAY! NOVEMBER 2014 • TAXI INSIDER • PAGE 3 LETTERS (Continued from Page 2) taxis with their roof-lights off are constantly solicit- Dear Taxi Dave, ing fares with their roof-lights off and their windows As a Yellow Cab Driver I always come to JFK to down, below 96th Street. drop or pickup passengers. But on October, 20th, 2014 Finally, I used to average driving between 100 - the Monday morning I came to Terminal 4 to pickup my 110 miles every day. NOW I average only 70 miles wife. But when I saw the following ad just in front of driven each day. You simply cannot move anywhere the welcome center and ground transportation counter it with this traffi c. really hurt me by thinking that how it’s possible to hang Michael Chan an ad like this which is totally lie. Taxi Driver for 28 years Anwar Illegal Advertisements Avoided Robbery Taxi Damage Instead Bronx River Parkway, where I noticed a group of about 15 teenagers. Half of them held large rocks or stones and the other half held antennas. I had that feeling that something would happen so I locked my doors and closed my windows.