Credit-card machines, global-positioning equipment and surveillance cameras would be mandated Watch video
Scores of New Orleans taxi company owners and drivers packed the City Council chamber Tuesday to express fierce opposition to a slate of changes, some of them costly, that Mayor Mitch Landrieu wants to impose on the industry. Also among the standing-room-only crowd were local tourism leaders who echoed Landrieu's position that mandates such as the installation of credit-card machines, global-positioning equipment and surveillance cameras are needed to improve a key facet of travelers' experience.
View full sizeCab drivers crowd into the New Orleans City Council chambers to listen to Taxicab Bureau Director Malachi Hull, discuss proposed changes on Tuesday. In opening the 3 1/2-hour meeting, Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, who authored the legislation, told some 300 attendees that the full council could vote on the measures as soon as April 5.
But after the contentious hearing, a Palmer aide said she planned to consult with the mayor about possibly delaying votes on the 32 ordinances in the overhaul package.
Drivers and owners of cabs and limousines, which also would be affected by many of the changes, generally complained that they weren't consulted about the proposals, or that their opinions have fallen on deaf ears.
"I think what the city is trying to do is cram their will down our throat," said Sam Porter, a taxi driver for 45 years. "We are the ambassadors of this city. People see us before they see anybody else. If you cram this ordinance down our throats, you're going to have a bunch of unhappy campers. And no tourist wants to meet an unhappy cab driver."
A fundamental complaint was the proposed reaffirmation of a long-standing policy that a taxi permit, known as a certificate of public necessity and convenience, or a CPNC, is a "privilege" issued at the discretion of the Safety & Permits Department director, not property belonging to the holder.
"Well, we're here to tell Mitch: It's a privilege to be mayor," said cabbie Delores Montgomery. "It is a privilege that you got our vote, but we didn't vote for this. We voted for change, but we didn't vote for radical change. We have had enough!"
Cab drivers also objected loudly to a draft law that would impose a fee of $2,000 or 20 percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater, on the transfer of CPNCs. The current fee is $350, though transfers have been banned for the past year, said Malachi Hull, director of the taxicab bureau.
Noting that many cab drivers finance their retirement with CPNC sale proceeds, Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell suggested that the transfer fee be set in inverse proportion to the number of years an owner has held the permit.
"I'm just saying 20 percent seems like a lot," the councilwoman said. "If you bought (the permit) for $18,000 and you sold it for $60,000, then I think the city needs to get its money. What we want to be is fair and equitable on both sides."
Daniel Davillier, a local attorney who represented 240 taxis affiliated with at least three local companies, described as "overly broad" a proposal that would bar all taxis older than 10 years from city streets, with the maximum age dropping to seven years in 2014.
He argued that officials should judge cabs by their condition rather than their age.
On a similar note, Sheree Kerner, the new president of United Cabs Inc., the city's largest taxi company, said City Hall should help drivers pay for new equipment by offering grants, authorizing fare increases and allowing advertising on taxis.
"We need to be compensated for all this capital that you want us to come up with," she said, adding that the city's tourism agencies also could help.
Joseph Rubino, a Florida transit consultant who said he's been engaged by 500 local cab drivers and owners to draft his own recommendations, said city leaders have correctly identified problems but have offered antiquated solutions.
Free software for cell phones and other hand-held devices can track routes and fares and provide driver security as well as the expensive hardware required by the mayor's proposals, he said.
Rubino also chastised city officials for modeling some policies, such as the vehicle-age rules, to those of cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and London.
"You've chosen to compare yourself to cities to which there is no comparison," he said. "How can you compare yourself to cities where drivers make $100,000 a year, and that's night drivers?
"Yes, on the busiest day of the year, the drivers here can make as much as the drivers in New York," he added later. "But tomorrow, they make 30 bucks."
Gerald Wasserman, a local attorney who recruited Rubino, asked Palmer to put off a vote until the parties can reach consensus.
"We can't do this on the time schedule that you've laid out. We don't want this dictated. We think we can do this together. We need for you all to delay the process," he said, drawing strong applause. "Please put it off. Give us time."
Though the proposed rules would apply only to cabs permitted in New Orleans, Thomas said Aviation Board officials have vowed to require all cabs that serve Louis Armstrong International Airport to comply as well. Her response seemed to assuage New Orleans-based drivers angry about a double standard.
Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.