By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Hundreds of upper Manhattan livery cab drivers ditched their wheels and hopped the subway to City Hall Thursday to protest the mayor's plan to increase the number of medallion cabs citywide.
The drivers railed against Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed plan to introduce a new fleet of approximately 6,000 taxis in the outer boroughs that would be allowed to pick up street fares, saying it still leaves Inwood and Washington Heights in the lurch.
The new cabs wouldn't be yellow, but they would be metered and would have the right to pick up fares on the street, which livery cabs are not supposed to do.
Drivers were joined by Northern Manhattan elected officials — including Council members Ydanis Rodriguez, Robert Jackson, Melissa Mark-Viverito, State Assemblyman Guillermo Linares and State Sen. Adriano Espaillat.
They argued livery cab drivers would be squeezed out by the city's new system, which would effectively make them second-class drivers in the neightboods they now serve.
It's unclear how much medallions for the new cabs might cost, but yellow cab medallions, which give drivers the right to pick up street hails, sell for an eye-popping $600,000.
"This would serve to make the rich richer, Rodriguez said. "(It) could put over 20,000 livery industry members in our community out of work, and we won't stand for it."
The city has not yet decided whether the new cab plan would apply to upper Manhattan, or just the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Rodriguez has lobbied for a different plan, which would allow livery cabs to pick up street hails instead of the new fleet of taxis.
TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said the commission is currently working with politicians and community officials to hash out the best plan to serve residents of the outer boroughs and upper Manhattan.
"This has been a collaborative process from day one for us, it's not a thing we’ve done or said without bringing stake holders to table to discuss the plan," he said, adding that the TLC is exploring ways to help drivers finance medallions.
"Ownership is a very achievable goal and the city stands ready to help people attain it," he said. "We want them to benefit from this."
The group said communities like those of Inwood and Washington Heights owe the drivers support for the years they have served the area when few yellow cabs ventured north of 125th Street.
"For years, you would never be able to find a yellow taxi in Northern Manhattan and the outer boroughs, but all of us still had to get around somehow; the livery cab industry developed to take care of that need," Espaillat said. "These drivers and base owners have served our community faithfully for decades, and the TLC needs to recognize that service."
Not all residents in Upper Manhattan are opposed to the mayor’s plan, which they say would add a layer of protection for the consumer that is currently missing in the neighborhood.
"It’s always a crap shoot when I get into a livery cab," said 28-year-old Gladys Moreno of Inwood, complaining that drivers often drive unsafely madly honking and making illegal U-turns to pick up fares. "At least I would know who in the city I could contact when there’s a problem."
The new fleet of cabs would have meters and roof lights showing whether they are on duty or not, but would not be painted the same classic yellow color as regular cabs.
The State Legislature will get to weigh in on any first before it would go to the City Council.
