If you are hailing a cab on the streets of New York City, it is highly probable that your driver will be from another country. According to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), a mere 4% of taxi drivers were born in the United States. The city’s taxi drivers have been overwhelmingly foreign-born for decades.
Due in large part to this, New York City Counsel and Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law that New York City taxi drivers will no longer have to pass an English test under new rules. This would make it easier for immigrants to get behind the wheel of a taxi and be able to make a living as a driver.
The test for a taxi license will be available in several languages and drivers must still pass a test on such details as driving rules and where they can pick up passengers.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez commented that the decision is about leveling the playing field with companies like Uber and Lyft. “They don’t have any language requirement, and no one has complained that they can’t communicate with them,” said Rodriguez.
The end of the English test is also a result of how technology has changed the business. As many drivers now rely on navigation systems rather than taking verbal directions, the requirement for English speaking drivers has diminished.
By Samantha
YellowCabNYCTaxi.com Staff Writer
Lyft is trying to sell itself. No monie there.
Do you think immigrants come here to work for free ..you bankrupt that why ,are you stupid or what .who is gonna ride that crazy cab how my driver read signs and follow passenger direction ..don’t drive it let delblasio and tlc drive them ..don’t drive yellow let them pay the price .just wait for next year .you won’t need a tlc plate to work either..they made everything as hell in ny ,is like punching people in the face .who is gonna drive in traffic and bike lines and no turn signs anywhere for 200$ a week..now drivers have uber cars they don’t drive in midtown.why tlc insurance is high expensive and why nj uber insurance is way low ..is tlc ripping off drivers by stealing using insurance..6000$ a year for uber car and 37% uber commission.this means nyc is ripping off migrants and eating them live..do you think drivers can live in nyc or nj for that 600$ a week .Tlc is in coma…anyway attention all drivers do not drive yellow now till we see where their thinking is up to.
IT’S OVER SQUARED EVER.
VISION ZERO. GET OUT THE WAY
UBER CARS WILL ALSO BE APPROVED FOR STREET HAILS SOON .IF UBER CARS OUTNUMBERED YELLOW CABS NEXT YEAR.BE READY TO DRIVE FOR UBER .TRUCK COMPANIES ARE GOING TO BE AFFILIATED WITH UBER NEX YEAR TOO.BUT IN ORDER TO DRIVE A TRUCK YOU MUST HAVE 3 YEARS EXPERIENCE DRIVING UBER CAR.
Uber is a criminal enterprise. Choose your “friends” wisely.
Is not worth it anymore anywhere on the planet to read or learn English .learning English for many years has become a scam to so many innocents immigrants and students who have being sold a fake dream to come for job or college .become a cab driver cashier or dishwasher for 7$ an hour would not even cover 50 % percent of their bills including apartment rent. after spending years and years in school they start realizing how stupid they are.
the problem is that immigrants work to death thinking one day the life will be better for them..yes 1 percent could make it up to the exit but 99% percent left their real dream back home ..if you own a business don’t see immigrants as 10 years free work with no benefits or hard work 12 /16 hours a day for $60 or 100 $ ..if you can’t pay them full package benefits then just close the gate …hahah I went to an agency for a job and the time I showed them my green card they forced me to pay first week and the boss keeps the second week and he paid me 5.50$ an hours for 60 hours a week .my rent was then 1200$ so why am I here ? to bring money for my land lord ? .I was forced to get money nowhere to pay my bills on timer at 5.50$ an hour…Taxi business is just an other hell that you can’t see and no one could feel it except drivers..one hour is two 1/2 hours .one passenger average for 30 min .10 $ is fair amount as an average.24 trips is your average trips a day or 240$ gross…if you pay your lease 140$ and gas 25 $ and sandwich coffee 25$ .what has left for driver ??that is 50$ for 12 hours and if you don’t get it go ask the TLC about drivers income average or see their tax return.I think is better to stand with immigrants .because thousand can’t make it get married and have a family here or pay rent by job without getting sick or confused or even move back home with kids ..because they need to be born here have good education and good luck to be able to compete.
people are not stupid for example when they see their friends did not make it in USA for many years .they just refuse to come to USA even they win green cards .many has burned their green card and didn’t want to come because friends couldn’t make it ..or you only going to bring refugees or war zone people with high crime rates.Either you gonna be serious about immigrants life or you gonna loose it both or give it up to refugees.any business that doesn’t pay fair salary should not open it’s doors to public .business are the ones creating problems by taking advantage of low cost labor . keep in your mind that 7$ an hour you pay me goes to landlord .not me .so where is my living savings and givingS went to.because I am a human need to be like others to save give and live.
That’s interesting! It will definitely open up more jobs but may be frustrating to some taxi riders.
I think I like it though.
I’m a cabbie for nearly 40 years in Hamburg, Germany.
Just last week my wife and me travelled to New York and used the Yellow Cabs at least 6 times. ALL THE DRIVERS were very professional, spoke fluent English and know their way around the city, eventhough one of them had his licence only since 2 WEEKS! Another one drove through the city for more than 20 years! And a woman-driver was furious about the degrading qualifications caused by UBER or LYFT!
Scipping the English-test is ridiculous! A cabbie has to know his town by heart, not by a navigation-system!
In Germany we hate drivers with the aptitude of: ‘I’m driving, You showing the way.’
A cabbie has to answer questions, like: What is the best korean restaurant? What is the best diner, to get a real american breakfast? When and where is the Steuben Parade and so on!
Knowlidge of the town is very and MOST important!
Driving a taxi is considered a low-quality-job with some of the customers, but most think, we are professionals, so they ask us, if they have a problem.
WE have to fight UBER worldwide and don’t tolerate the degrading of the taxi-quality!
WORK FOR THAT!
KEEP FIGHTING!
Excellent comments. How’s cabbies doing in Germany. Do you guys have decent living wages with 8 hours of work?
Germany is full of refugees .TAXI BUSINESS in Germany is proud to receive such huge population.I mean 10 drivers per one taxi.
Uber is a disgrace to honesty and integrity. Whatever left of it in NYC.
Looks like Philly says Uber is ILLEGAL. A child could get it better, but we need lawmakers and judges to decide on trivialities now.
Unequal Rules On Uber, Lyft Threaten Philly Cabs, Judge Told.
This is factual news –
How frustrating it is for customers to have a cab driver who barely speaks english ?
My sister got in a cab a JFK, the Chinese driver barely spoke english. She got out and took another cab.
I talk to some of these Bangladeshi/Pakistani drivers. And I can barely understand wtf they’re talking about. I just act like I understand the punjabis and shake my head in agreement.
To long time cab driver:
the big problem ,taxi is facing now is that new drivers can’t drive yellow due to overworking conditions .They tend to prefer uber because of its behavior.
who would drive your cabs for less money out there in traffic and exaust fumes for 16 hours and perhaps for many years.Do you have an option to choose or select drivers now.I believe you drove cab and have no idea how business mentality works.keep in your mind that cuban taxi drivers are better off than yours in today’s economy.
Do you know what the world is saying about usa:if you see dirty line at the airport,that line is flying to usa.wakeup and open your eyes.people are not here to do free work for you .or stop immigration and vote for trump.otherwise you must travel and see the world.those drivers who can’t speak english at least safer and won’t rape you on your way home.you should be proud of them or go rent hertz car and drop off your ass home ,and speak to yourself english which has become the language of slaves.
To Madison,
What are you rambling on about?
as a fact! driving yellow cab is the best, even doe its not like before but is the best, I will choose to drive green cab than uber and lyft that is the fact.
I won’t drive yellow for free..My advice to new drivers out there is this:just ask old drivers and talk to first generation before you start picking up dirty cab from dirty garage.you won’t make any future..stay away from driving job ,it gonna kill you period.you never smile again .stay away .learn english and find an other job where you don’t deal with humans..Last time I got ehail and went to pickup the customer and because of traffic I stood at the corner of the block few feet away from the front door .after the passenger came by he said why you didn’t stop at the front ,I told him :do you see traffic is gonna take me 25min to go around the block .and came here in 3minutes to make it easier for you .what surprised me is that he took an other cab and gave me bad look ..I mean what this man is thinking.??this is the real problem of this city ,is that some people don’t deserve to be given any service no matter what the price.
Iam asking the TLc to make it way way expensive to take an ehail trip .double meter for ehail.period.
the reason they drop down the english test for new drivers is that the tlc want these drivers stay driving for ever.because statistics shows drivers with good english do find other job within 2years.in addition,taxi schools are making money because these new drivers would run tests 7 times before they pass and it cost them 75$ each try.how do you like it ?profitable..