MARCHJULY 20102015 •• TAXITAXI INSIDERINSIDER •• PAGEPAGE 11 INSIDER VOL. 16, NO. 3 “The Voice of the NYC Transportation Industry.” MARCH 2015 Letters Start on Page 2 • EDITORIAL Insider News By David Pollack Page 5 • Updated Relief Stands Hijacking Democracy Page 6 • (Tolls On All Bridges) Taxi Attorney Are you ready to pay $5.50 to cross the 59th replenish a credit card. Even IF they have a credit By Michael Spevack Street Bridge driving an empty cab twice card that hasn’t been maxed-out or charged off Page 7 a day? How about taking that $10.00 they do not have the disposable income • fare into downtown Brooklyn only to to store a few hundred bucks that EZ-Pass Puzzles come back over the Brooklyn Bridge, holds. (That is another editorial). One Page 7 and 21 Manhattan, Bridge or Williamsburg City Councilman even had the balls to • Bridge and pay another $5.50? The state that only rich people own cars! Hey Press Conferences MTA already taxes our fares, yet the Councilman, I drive a used cab that has Page 13 Congestion Pricing proposal now has a 350,000 miles on it, and it is not because • softer name: Fair Pricing: What a crock I am nostalgic. I did notice you drive a Transportation Technology of sheep. (Brainwashing: Fair Fair Fair) 2014 Japanese car though. Issues In London Baaaah! This plan, whatever you choose This gross toll ripoff is just another at- tempt at money using the the tentacles(and By Matthew Daus to call it, is nothing less than a ploy by MTA supporters that hurts the hardest testicles I might add) of the MTA, by Page 15 working New Yorkers. wrapping them around the policies of a growing • Many politicians throughout the state are un- list of politicians and around their souls. One does Commissioner’s Corner der the cloaked control of the MTA but have no not have to be a politician to make a case for Fair By Meera Joshi idea why so many New Yorkers, even their own Fair Fair Pricing: Hear that Gridlock Sam? I’ll Page 17 constituents, use the cash lanes at the Triboro call it Sad Sad Sad Pricing. It is possible that this • Bridge (oops RFK). Here is breaking news for is yet another attempt by Bloomberg supporters Quotable Quotes those dummies: It is because MANY New Yorkers pushing for a leftover policy behind the $cenes Page 17 live paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford to (Continued on Page 4) • Red Light and Speed Cameras Oh, The Horror Who is This ‘UBER Guy’? Starts on Page 18 By Larry Fisher, Loan Department Supervisor By Abe Mittleman • MELROSE Credit Union How many times have you heard a politician make Current Madellion Agents Do you remember the a promise when running for offi ce only to abandon Starts on Page 19 scene in the fi lm, “Apoc- the promise after the votes are in and victory is • alypse Now,” when the achieved? If only we could pick these promises apart Economy main character, Captain before the election, certainly the results of elections Willard, approaches the would be different! Page 27 island commanded by Michael Alegretti, is a politician. Having lost his • renegade Colonel Kurtz? 2010 bid for the Republican seat in New York’s 13th Hotel Listing The foggy, surreal sen- Congressional District, Mr. Alegretti was available Page 28 and 30 sibility is heightened and hired by UBER in January of 2015 to be their • by the visage of decapi- ‘Director of Public Policy for New York. Events and More tated heads strewn along On February 12 at a public hearing of the TLC, Starts on Page 29 the shore. Sometimes I industry representatives were invited to give their • wonder if this is the world view of those longing to opinions of how FHV Apps should be regulated. Insider Directory dominate the globe, like ISIS, Al Qaeda, or Uber. There were some very sincere and dedicated industry Page 32 The absolute medieval barbarism of ISIS has been representatives in attendance who gave very educated • on display for some time now. They are so evil that input with their testimony. They had very thoughtful Embassy Listing even a nation that counts itself as our enemy, Iran, and honest opinions of how to structure the rules so Starts on Page 33 is working to help rid the region of ISIS insurgency that this segment of the industry would be within • in Iraq and Syria. What would the globe look like if the guidelines of licensed FHV service. Around The World ISIS or Al Qaeda were successful in their quest for Then, there was Michael Alegretti. He was rep- Page 46 (Continued on Page 8) (Continued on Page 8) PAGE 2 • TAXI INSIDER • MARCH 2015 JULY 2010 • TAXI INSIDER • PAGE 1 LETTERS INSIDER Yellow Drivers Leave ago. My husband worked hard. We paid our mort- Publisher & gage, we put our kids through college and we For Uber lived like human being. now the promise the city Editor-in-Chief Dear Mr. Pollack, made to us has been broken. gypsies, uber cars, Do you want to know the real reason yellow green cabs etc . are working the street. Where is David Pollack drivers leave for UBER. It is because of the police the promise the city made to us when we invested harassment done to yellow cab drivers. UBER in the city?.where is the protection? we help the drivers never get stopped and yellow cab drivers, MTA (50c) we help disabled (30C). Who is help- even the best ones, get stopped often. The longer ing US? my husband is working very long hours. we work, the better the chances of getting a police we don’t see him anymore. we ‘re strugling to summons, and usually for nothing. And the TLC make ends meet. points are unjust also. A passenger asked me to Please ask the commissioner what she is going look up an address on my iphone because her to do? I heard her saying on your show in the past battery was dead. I handed her the phone and she she is hiring new inspectors. Where are they? Columnists found the address. When she handed me back the I leave you with this: my grandfather used to phone, i looked at the address and made it bigger say. While the doctors trying to figure the cure, Matthew Daus, Esq. at a red light. A TLC inspector was next to me The patient die !. Tony Falese and gave me a summons for using my cell phone Thank You, while driving. I only had it my hand. At court I Concerned Wife Larry Fisher told the truth and was found guilty. God bless you Hweida for what you do for the taxi drivers but the TLC Ira Goldstein, Esq. has to lower their points. Issac Helping The Industry Bob Mackle, Esq. Dear Taxi Dave, Abe Mittleman Continue your great advocacy for our industry. You Still Problem Bus Lane, are and have been a pivotal voice for the industry. Alan Plafker Stay warm my friend. Pick Up And Drop Off Artie C Michael Spevack, Esq. Dear Taxi Dave, Chip Stern I got ticket for dropping off Passenger in bus lane on 34th street between 2nd and 3rd Ave last Uber Mark Twain week. Dear Taxi Dave, All the buses now have video cameras video- We prevent Uber from surge pricing because taping taxis and car services. We get tickets by most people use Uber when they can’t find a yel- Layout & Graphics mail for $95! low cab. So, it’s in the public interest to keep the Also I got a ticket picking up a Passnger at 404 medallion strong and add more medallions. Dragonfl y Graphics LLC East 55th Street. The Passenger seated herself in Michael Simon my car, and as we start driving, 2 police cars and 4 officers jumped out of their cars, kicked out my Passenger and gave me tickets for No Parking, More Cars Taxi Insider Parking was only for trucks loading and unload- Dear Taxi Dave, ing. Cost? $115! There is no limit to the number of black cars 14 Alexander Drive The commissioner of TLC lie when she said we crowding the Manhattan streets. How are yellow Washingtonville, NY 10992 stop or don’t give tickets for pick up and drop off. cabs supposed to provide proper service when the It’s not fair and honest. This harassment needs TLC keep adding more cars? Phone: (718) 706-TAXI(8294) to stop. We enjoyed that week when all police of- Attusa ficers did not give any tickets because they were — mad at DeBlsio the mayor. That’s was the best Protect Medallions E-mail:[email protected] week: no crime no accident Dear Taxi Dave, Please no name Let me get this straight. The city auctions Copyright © 2015 by TAXI INSIDER. All Because the NYPD & TLC will be coming after medallions and lets UBER cars come into the rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor me for complaining industry. Every time they add one more UBER any part therof may be reproduced, copied, Thank you. car, they are taking one yellow cab off the road. or transmitted in any form, electronic or Peace and love, They can buy a Mercedes versus the NV-200 I mechanical including photocopying, mi- Avner must buy. There is a limit on (the number of) yel- crofi lming, recording or by any information lows but no limit on them. This means the TLC retrieving system without the express written TLC COmMISSIONER is definitely destroying our business.