NYC cab drivers lobby for right to use cellphones on duty

About this time last year, the cab drivers of New York City were taking a stand against GPS installations. This year, they've taken to the streets of downtown Manhattan in order to rally for the right to use cellphones while on duty. For those unaware, NYC cabbies are currently disallowed from using hands-free apparatuses while on the clock, and those in the profession are arguing that having one would enable them to feel safer and more connected to the outside world. Unfortunately, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn't seem ready to budge, as it reportedly replied to the lobbying by stating that "cellphone abuse has resulted in many instances of drivers leaving their passengers feeling improperly served and downright unsafe." What's a cab driver got to do to get his / her Snake on, huh?

[Via textually]

[MissUniverse @ Mar 21st 2008 5:25AM]

Perhaps a compromise could be reached that would allow for usage of hands free devices during the late evening hours - when presumably, robberies and other abuses are more likely to happen.

[Aman @ Mar 21st 2008 12:44PM]

Hey was it just me or the snake part was in reference to Indians.

[mattydread @ Mar 21st 2008 12:49PM]

I assume it means the Snake game on cellphones. Also known as Nibbles to the QBASIC crowds.

[Harkonian @ Mar 21st 2008 3:14PM]

This sounds like a great idea. I'll lobby my employer to allow me to yap on the cell phone during meetings.

[AlexTheSane @ Mar 21st 2008 5:29AM]

I didn't realize this was a rule. Every NYC cab that I've gotten into in the last 5 years has had the driver yapping very loudly on his cellphone for the duration of the trip. It's damn near impossible to have a quiet cab ride.

[Othello @ Mar 21st 2008 5:57AM]

Not just that the cab ride is quiet, but since they aren't paying attention in the first place they forget where they are taking you.

[Goopy @ Mar 21st 2008 8:20AM]

Toronto also has that rule but no driver give a damn about it

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 21st 2008 8:37AM]

Well here in Chicago, we got REAL tight laws and cellphones. It doesn't really apply in the suburbs but once you enter the city, their watching your ears man. But, now I have pretty quite cab rides when I ride the cabs.

[AlexTheSane @ Mar 21st 2008 8:50AM]

I just don't understand their complaint. No one said they can't have a phone in the car for emergency situations. Are they required to be on the phone for the entire shift to feel safer? It's very simple, if you don't like the rules that are in place where you work, you either deal with it or you get another job. Let's see how much time they let you spend on the phone at a factory.

[Ian @ Mar 21st 2008 12:27PM]

Same here, I think EVERY cab I've ridden in the cabbie has been on the phone for at least part of the ride.

Maybe they should allow cab drivers to have cell phones as long as they are linked into their credit card machines, so that as long as they talking on the phone, you know the machine is working...

[David @ Mar 21st 2008 10:39AM]

Ditto here in Philly, and often it's on speakerphone.

When making a request to the driver, you're made to feel like you need to apologize for interrupting.

Having said that, I would want the option to use the phone if I were stuck in a cab 10hrs a day.

[cdplaya989 @ Mar 21st 2008 1:11PM]

@ CUBSWILLWIN

Dude, WHAT are you talking about? Have you ever caught a cab downtown? Maybe on the North side all the cabbies are attentive but you'd be hard pressed to catch a cab in the Loop for a talk-free ride

[Wwhat @ Mar 21st 2008 1:58PM]

So do they chat in english those cabbies?

[AlexTheSane @ Mar 21st 2008 10:06PM]

It's rarely English.

[Yang @ Mar 21st 2008 5:41AM]

LOL! I would say more than half the NYC cabbies already use their cellphones on a regular basis while on the job. I'm not even talking about hands-free either. Makes for some crazy cab rides.

[Mp3 @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:48AM]

Yes, I'm in NYC too and no doubt my cab driver is screaming in Urdu or Farsi into the phone for the whole ride - Bluetooth or not, it bothers me. They are supposed to keep the radio off too, but that's rare also. Why can't the trip just be quiet?

[Vagrant @ Mar 21st 2008 6:13AM]

I think it's fine if they don't have a fare in the car. I mean if a cab driver needs to be on the phone that bad, they're in the wrong profession.

In Japan, the drivers would ask me if it was OK to answer their phones when they rang.

[mushrooshi @ Mar 21st 2008 6:16AM]

Why the hell is there a sharingan on the christmas ornament.

[Vagrant @ Mar 21st 2008 11:57AM]

Actually, it is a chochin (Paper lantern), but I guess it does look like an ornament. I just quickly picked an image when avatars were enabled as I didn't like the default one.

[LBalsam @ Mar 21st 2008 7:30AM]

Almost every time I take a cab the drive is on the phone for the entire trip.

Recently one was holding his hands free headset to his head and driving with one hand.

The phone call is obviously much more important than the passenger. Drivers often make mistakes as to where you want to go. When pulling up they usually do not hear last minute requests.

Recently I rode with a friend on crutches, the cab driver was on the phone when we were giving him directions as to where to pull up. Instead of pulling through the intersection as requested he turned the corner and drive 1/2 block before we could get him to stop. My friend who had just had hip surgery had to walk an extra half block.

Drivers often do not notice other cars pulling into traffic and the rate of near misses seems to go way up.

As a regular rider I would like to see cell phone conversations banned for drivers while they have passengers in the car.

[bob sakamano @ Mar 21st 2008 7:51AM]

yeah, i agree

is this a real story?

I would say more than half of the cabs I ride in, the driver is on his phone, so I don't know what they are complaining about. I guess they just want the rule to be changed so they aren't always breaking it

[Joe @ Mar 21st 2008 7:52AM]

This has no legs. There is plenty of proof out there that cell phone talking hinders driving, and in a place as congested as NYC, there is no excuse for these people to be on the phone the whole time. First they don't want to be tracked by GPS, and now they want to talk on the phone all day and night during their work shift? I have an idea - get a new job, slackers.

[David @ Mar 21st 2008 10:42AM]

They're against the GPS, because they don't want the boss to know when the've pulled over to pray 5x per day.

[T H @ Mar 21st 2008 12:09PM]

Uh, that pretty much makes you an asshole, David.

[Xultar @ Mar 21st 2008 8:25AM]

They are using them anyway. I was just in NY and my cabby was talking away.

[dosguy @ Mar 21st 2008 8:35AM]

Cellphone driving is illegal for a reason - it causes driver inattention and contributes to accidents. Professional drivers, especially those who transport passengers, should be held to an even higher level of responsibility than the general driving public. Cabbies need to get with the program - either obey the law or get out of the business.

[umijin @ Mar 21st 2008 9:12AM]

Jeezus F you know what. No way these morons should be allowed to use their phones. In October when I was in NY for surgery, the cabbie that took me to the hospital on the morning of my surgery date was yakking (in Arabic) on his phone, weaving in and out of traffic, and ticking off other drivers. It was so bad that at a stop light, a large man in a van got out and walked up to my cab and threatened the man (and nicely apologized to me). The jerk didn't even know where my stop was and I had to get out of the cab.

No phones for these guys - period.

[James @ Mar 21st 2008 9:19AM]

If I was getting checked out at Target and the cashier was on the phone *while she was ringing me up*, she'd get fired. Why is it that a cabbie in the act of providing me a service should be any different?

Of course, I don't give a shit what they do while they're *looking* for fares, but once they pick somebody up, they're doing a job and should act accordingly.

[cdplaya989 @ Mar 21st 2008 1:11PM]

I think you just hit the nail on the head

[TheWayner @ Mar 21st 2008 9:41AM]

The last 5 times I've been in a NYC cab, they driver has been on a hands free cellphone and almost completely ignoring me.

[canoehead @ Mar 21st 2008 9:49AM]

That's hilarious - I work in NY and can't remember the last time the cabbie wasn't talking into the celphone the whole time. Of course it causes inattention, and some weird rides. Of course, the only thing worse than being in the cab is driving a car around NY cabbies - they literally do not care if they hit you. You pretty much have to give way because they will ram you doing an a$$hole illegal move.

[David @ Mar 21st 2008 10:44AM]

That's just because they live in NJ and know any better ;-)

[Michelle @ Mar 21st 2008 10:28AM]

Bottom line. If you're getting paid to drive you should be driving, not talking on the phone. This goes for Cab Drivers and Bus Drivers alike. Its a shame we need laws to tell us what should be common sense.

[Nate @ Mar 21st 2008 9:58AM]

Dear cabbies,

Sometimes, to work in a certain industry or employer there are rules to follow. Welcome to reality.

[DCGaymer @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:35AM]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get that passed in DC...

[Benjamin Johannemann @ Mar 21st 2008 11:16AM]

It doesn't seem to stop them, I haven't been in a cab in quite a while without the driver being on his cell phone.

[equal @ Mar 21st 2008 11:49AM]

For all of you complaining about cabbies on their cellphones: Take down their cab number and name and report them. If you're not doing anything to stop the problem, don't complain about it.

I've told off cab drivers who missed turns because of their chatting. I've told off cab drivers who were conducting wholely inappropriate conversations during the ride, assuming I didn't understand Arabic. And every time, I reported the driver. It was pretty funny the time the Arab guy was talking about a prostitute, cuz I told his boss about the WHOLE conversation.

[Will Design for Food @ Mar 21st 2008 11:55AM]

Since when did any cabbie follow this rule? I swear, every cab I've ever been in they've all been chatting away on cell phones.

[Dougp @ Mar 21st 2008 1:22PM]

Nothing is worse than an idiot NYC cab driver on his damn phone. He drives like an idiot (well....more so) and then doesn't remember where you asked to go..asking about 10 times.

[tizo @ Mar 21st 2008 2:16PM]

How about we all start asking the cabbie to get off the phone while we are driven? If they don't no tip for you!

[EvanWasHere @ Mar 21st 2008 2:36PM]

I have lived in Manhattan most of my life. For the last decade, I take about 2 taxi rides a day (minmum). It's cheaper than owning a car, paying for parking, insurance, gas, time looking for parking, etc.

Since the cell phone became affordable to the average user, 99% of every taxi ride I take, the driver is on the phone. In fact, 1/2 the time that 1% is not on the phone, they receive a phone call halfway through the ride. They talk loudly in french (the drivers from Africa) and other middle eastern languages.

Because of this, i have to ALWAYS pay attention to where we are going. I have had to repeat my destination 3-4 times durring the trip. I have had drivers swap the street and avenue addresses (resulting in them trying to take my cross town in the wrong direction). Even worse, if I see that there is traffic on a certain street, and I want to advise them NOT to turn there, they don't hear me or don't react fast enough while on their phone.

Even WORSE, last year I jumped into a taxi and told the driver I had to make a stop to pick up food from a diner that was already made and paid for along the way. He said ok. We got there, I jumped out, leavin my backpack in the taxi and said I'll be back in 30 seconds. Do NOT leave. I repeated this as well as telling him that I left my backpack in there. The backpack containing external hard drives and my laptop. I have done this routine hundreds of times. In the beginning I took my backpack with me, but it got the drivers anxious that I was running from the fare. Anyways, as I walked away, I noted the taxi car number. I was in the diner for 10 seconds. The owner actually walked halfway to the door when he saw me waking in. I turn around, and the taxi was gone.

I almost had a heart attack. I immediately called the police, the taxi commission, and 311. Everyone was useless... the cops took an hour to come there. And they were useless as well, refusing to even take a report. My tax dollars at work. Anyways, the taxi driver came back about 1 hour and 5 minutes later. He said he was halfway to Queens when he saw the backpack in the car. I screamed at him why he left, and he said he never heard me to stay. I was like "didn't u notice I left the car without paying u". he said he was distracted by being on the phone. I almost threw him into the street when he asked me to pay him for the ride back from Queens. I just took my stuff and walked away.

So, yeah.. I'm not allowed to use my cell phone at work.. Most people aren't. It would affect my job greatly.

[bittoman @ Mar 21st 2008 3:08PM]

I too live in Chicago, and this is also a problem here. Since the law only restricts holding the actual phone while in a conversation, cab drivers just use hands free headsets instead. Having to repeat myself is obvious that they're a distraction, and should be banned during a hired faire, because they are providing a service that were paying for. The reason the NY drivers are rallying now (again) is because they dont want to lose any of the benefits their koosh job provides. Think about it. They're getting paid (and tipped) to sit on their ass, talk on the phone, eat/drink, etc. Something needs to be done and im glad NY is to start.

[Mark L. @ Mar 21st 2008 4:00PM]

Stupid union workers. You work for the job and you can quit if you want to yammer on your cell phone. These businesses obviously know what they're doing, having cabbies talking on their cellphones and forgetting where they're supposed to drop you off is poor customer service.

[mike @ Mar 21st 2008 5:39PM]

Of the past 10 cabs I have been in, 8 of them are on the phone, the other 2 where blasting realyl shitty music. Cabbies are already the worst drivers, lets now allow them to do something that will most likely lead to worse driving - Good idea.

[hawkeye1977 @ Mar 21st 2008 7:20PM]

I'm in Chicago too and they're ALWAYS on the phone when I'm in cabs and it drives me nuts. My main question is this though. Who the hell are they talking to and how in the world can they have that much to talk about for that length of time. My god can they really have that much to say where they're on the phone for the entire 8 hour shift?

[gtsaigt @ Mar 21st 2008 8:07PM]

I prefer no cellphone for taxi. Especially NY cab drivers, they drive so fast and always at edge of the traffic rule. They might have good skill and not get in car accidents but high chances they will put people on street in danger.

[Franklin @ Mar 26th 2008 12:08PM]

if you are going to bann from cab drivers you should ban i from everyone.
But I think it is kind of silly, they sit in a cab for 8+ a day and there passengers rarly talk to them. So what they should sit in silence all day isn't that a little cruel or boring. Might make them fall asleep driving. I live in new york I say let them talk you already have a tv in the back seet to keep you entertained.