My take on the potential NYC Taxi "strike" next week

The so-called Taxi Alliance has called for a strike next week over the installation of GPS receivers/transmitters in cabs, the requirement to accept credit cards in cabs, and the requirement to cease blathering on on cell phones while driving haphazardly throughout the city.

It's not really a strike in the union-vs.-the-man sense of the word as New York City cabbies are mostly independent contractors; though some own their own medallions and cabs, most rent a cab with medallion by the shift. I don't doubt that it's not a great job, having to deal with New Yorkers, New Jerseyans, and tourists all day, with riders demanding to be taken to places as obscure as DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Battery Park City. But, as far as I know, no one is forced to be a taxi driver in New York City.

Now, here in Sydney, where I am briefly, the taxi drivers are salaried. I don't know what their hourly pay is, but the difference in cab rides between the two cities is stunning.

Two weeks ago in New York we hailed a cab and asked to be taken to DUMBO.

Without missing a beat the driver began to berate us, how was he supposed to know how to get to DUMBO? Why were we assuming he knew how to get there? It was arrogant of us to demand to be taken there. And so on. We got out, I snapped a picture of the medallion number to report to the TLC, and we took the next cab. Now, I've only lived in NYC since 1997 but I'd heard the term "DUMBO" used to describe the Brooklyn Bridge- Manhattan Bridge waterfront area almost since I moved to the city. The actual term dates from the 1970s. Today there's, I don't know, maybe 1000 people who live in the neighborhood, perhaps more. It does not seem to be that new a term. Since we moved in (from the also-obscure to taxi drivers, Brooklyn Heights) we've taken maybe 50 cab rides. About half have asked for directions, which is fine. Asking for directions is fine. Screaming at us that we've overstepped some sort of line by saying "Main Street, DUMBO" and refusing to drive is something else.

Sydney, on the other hand, has some sort of combined taxi service. I don't know the details, perhaps it's a horrible monopoly, or duopoly, or panopoly. But there's one number to call to get a taxi (yes, you can actually call and have a taxi dispatched to your location, if you're in some part of the city without regular taxi traffic). All taxies have some sort of dispatching system tied to that number, and they all have some sort of map or directional system built into the meter. We've come across several on this trip which had the portable GPS units as well, I assume owned by the individual driver. I hate driving here, so we've taken taxis all over the city on this and previous trips. Once we headed north and the driver needed a clarification on our destination, we all checked the map he had and agreed on where he should take us (this was pre-GPS).

The drivers in Sydney are salaried, or on some sort of regular pay schedule. I don't know the details other than they are not in the insane situation of paying rent on the cab and starting the day $500 or so in the hole (whatever the daily rate is in NYC, which is not fixed by the TLC). The result is that the drivers here seem, I don't know, relaxed? professional? Not hassled. They don't act like you (the rider) are a nuisance in their lives which they'd much rather do without, unlike the typical NYC driver.

It's a much more pleasant experience.

Again, I don't doubt that driving a cab for a 12 hour shift sucks, or that the TLC and the medallion owners are in conspiracy to make the entire experience suck for both riders and drivers, but a strike will only hurt the two groups with the least power to make any changes: the very drivers (who will lose 1-2 days pay) and the riders, passengers, who are their direct customers and who will find alternate ways around the city.

So, here's my take, and any drivers who are offended, well, you made the decision to strike against your consumers: if there is a strike, I'm going to revert to a "by-the-rules" approach to taxi ridership:

• I'll ask for that receipt, please.
• And the complete change, please.
• No, I won't be tipping you.
• And if you, Mr. Taxi Driver, are a complete ass about any of this I will indeed use the handy online TLC form to report your medallion number.

Yes, this is pedantic, and childish, but really, what other option do I as an individual passenger have to reply to this strike?