NYC Cabbie Group Starts 2-Day Strike Over GPS, Credit Cards

Wednesday, September 5th 2007, 10:57 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ A strike by taxi cab drivers Wednesday reduced the number of cruising yellow cabs and increased the waiting time for some riders _ although its overall impact on travel in Manhattan and to the regional airports remained hard to gauge.

The strikers, battling against plans to fit every cab with GPS technology they consider intrusive, claimed the walkout was a ``resounding success.'' City officials countered that there were no ``major disruptions'' caused by the strike.

Fred Cox, who rides into Penn Station from Philadelphia and then hops a cab to his office, didn't notice much difference from a typical morning.

``Actually, I'm a little surprised it's not backed up with people waiting for cabs,'' said Cox, standing at a cab stand near the Manhattan transportation hub.

It remained unclear how many of the city's 13,000 yellow cabs were idled by the strike _ the group that called the strike claims to represent about a fifth of the city's 44,000 licensed drivers.

But there was no disputing that there were fewer taxis on the street than on a typical weekday morning. There were lines of passengers seeking cabs at LaGuardia Airport early Wednesday; at Kennedy International Airport, however, the cabs outnumbered the would-be riders.

``Our contingency plan remains in effect, although we're not seeing any major disruptions,'' said Matt Troisi, spokesman for the city Office of Emergency Management.

The city's emergency rules allowed nonstriking drivers to offer group rides _ meaning they could pick up multiple separate passengers _ and discounted flat fares.

After waiting almost 20 minutes for a taxi outside Penn Station, financial analyst Matt Achilarre had no sympathy for the striking drivers.

``It's pointless _ they're not making any statements,'' said Achilarre, 26, who commutes by train from New Jersey. ``I applaud the cabbies that are working. They'll get a windfall.''

Robert Jones was one of those cabbies, working at Kennedy Airport. Travelers there found more than enough cabs.

``Things are pretty good today,'' Jones said while waiting for passengers. ``There's no hassle today.''

Union leader Ed Ott, head of the New York City Central Labor Council, said the situation was much different in midtown Manhattan.

``If you can't see the difference between yesterday and today at Penn Station, either you're blind or you're a tourist,'' Ott said.

The 48-hour strike began as planned at 5 a.m. Wednesday, said Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

The group is protesting new rules requiring all cabs to have Global Positioning System technology and video screens that will let passengers pay by credit card, check news stories and monitor the location of the cab. The cabs must have the new technology as they come up for inspection starting Oct. 1.

The city's Taxi & Limousine Commission says the technology _ by eliminating cash _ could mean more riders and bigger fares for drivers. They also say the GPS will offer drivers tips to avoid traffic and help passengers reclaim lost property.

The alliance _ an advocacy group, not a labor union _ says the equipment could be used to track drivers' movements. They also say drivers will get stuck paying fees for credit card processing.

Several other drivers' groups that represent thousands of city cab drivers have released statements opposing the strike.

The alliance organized a one-day strike in 1998 that caused headaches for many residents and tourists, while city officials were forced to line up replacement buses and vans.

The alliance picked a busy stretch for a possible job action, with the city hosting the U.S. Open tennis tournament and Fashion Week.