A troubling series of deaths involving New York City yellow taxi drivers is drawing new attention to the demanding conditions faced by cabbies working long hours across the five boroughs.
Three taxi drivers have been found dead inside their yellow cabs since July, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Driver advocates say the incidents highlight concerns about long shifts, financial pressure and drivers putting their own health aside while trying to make a living.
Illegal taxi hustlers at JFK Airport are charging unsuspecting tourists astronomical fares – with some travelers paying as much as $800 for rides that should cost around $70 in a licensed yellow cab. According to a recent investigation by Gothamist, the problem has gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of unlicensed drivers now … Read more
Before he ever took the oath as New York City’s youngest mayor — and the first Muslim to hold that office — Zohran Mamdani was best known for something far less glamorous: refusing to eat.
Back in 2021, Mamdani was a 30-year-old freshman Assembly member from Queens who planted himself in City Hall Park with a simple but powerful vow — to fast until New York’s struggling taxi drivers got the debt relief they deserved. “I will be on strike for as long as it takes,” he declared, announcing that every call, meeting, and bit of legislative work would be done from the protest site itself.
At the time, the city’s taxi industry was on the brink. Years of inflated medallion prices and predatory loans had crushed thousands of drivers under impossible debt. Many had lost their homes, their life savings — some even their lives. Mamdani’s hunger strike wasn’t a political stunt; it was an act of solidarity with a workforce drowning in despair.
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers (NYSFTD) is taking a stand against Waymo’s entry into New York City, raising alarms about what driverless cars could mean for the livelihoods of tens of thousands of professional drivers.
Since the launch of New York City’s congestion pricing toll program on January 5, 2025, more New Yorkers appear to be opting for Yellow Cab New York rides, according to transportation officials.
New data from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) indicates a 10% rise in taxi trips in the week of January 5-12, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. Commissioner David Do shared this update during a City Council oversight hearing on February 10, discussing the impact of congestion pricing on the NYC taxi industry.