Rider Asks if Cabby Is Muslim, Then Stabs Him By N. R. KLEINFIELD Published: August 25, 2010 It was the first fare of the cabdriver’s shift. A young man hailed him at the corner of Second Avenue and East 24th Street, wanting to go to 42nd and Second. It was 6 p.m. on Tuesday; the traffic was dense. Once the fare, Michael Enright, a 21-year-old film student who had been recently trailing Marines in Afghanistan, settled in the back, he started asking friendly enough questions: Where was the driver from? Was he Muslim? The driver, Ahmed H. Sharif, 44, said he was from Bangladesh, and yes he was Muslim. Mr. Enright said, “Salaam aleikum,” the Arabic greeting “Peace be upon you.” “How’s your Ramadan going?” Mr. Enright asked, Mr. Sharif said. He told him it was going fine. Then, he said, Mr. Enright began making fun of the rituals of Ramadan, and Mr. Sharif sensed this cab ride might not be like any other. “So I stopped talking to him,” Mr. Sharif said. “He stopped talking, too.” As the cab inched up Third Avenue and reached 39th Street, Mr. Sharif said in a phone interview, Mr. Enright suddenly began cursing at him and shouting “This is the checkpoint” and “I have to bring you down.” He said he told him he had to bring the king of Saudi Arabia to the checkpoint. “He was talking like he was a soldier,” Mr. Sharif said. - more... The New York Times - (New York City, New York) Anti-Islam Ads Removed from Chicago Taxis Yellow Cab says ads are offensive to Muslims By SUSAN RIVERA Updated 8:02 AM CDT, Wed, Aug 25, 2010 A series of controversial ads targeting Islam will be removed from a fleet of Yellow Cab taxis. The ads were sponsored by a group called "Stop Islamization of America," which claims the U.S. is under attack by Islamic law, reports the Chicago Tribune. The group is also a strong opponent of plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. Some of the ads, which appeared on about two-dozen cabs, show women who were allegedly killed by their Muslim fathers for not agreeing to enter into forced marriages. Next to these images is the question: “Is your family threatening you.” Pamela Geller, leader of Stop Islamization of America, has been quoted as saying Muslims are increasingly taking over schools and other institutions in America. Geller said the ads were directed at "Muslim girls in trouble, living in fear of their lives, struggling to find resources to help,” she told the paper. - more... WMAQ-TV Channel 5 - (Chicago, Illinois) Taxi driver is charged with beating Red Bank man in fare dispute Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 10:07 AM Philip Read/The Star-Ledger SAYREVILLE — A taxi driver has been accused of beating a passenger in a dispute over a fare and leaving the injured man alongside the Garden State Parkway. Brian Polite, a detective with the New Jersey State Police, said today that the accused, Kesner Pierresaint, 50, of Orange was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering an injured victim stemming from the July 17 incident. - more... The Star-Ledger - (Newark, New Jersey) Cab Driver Paralyzed by Teen Talks About Shooting Updated: Wednesday, 25 Aug 2010, 6:09 PM CDT MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A paralyzed cab driver speaks to FOX13, three weeks after he was shot by an 18-year old who pretended to need a ride. Leo Boyd said despite his condition, he's in high spirits and doing well, thanks to the good people at the Regional Medical Center. Boyd said he has worked the night shift as a cabbie for a decade. In his 10 years, he's never been afraid of doing his job. August 3rd proved to be different, when he answered a call that would forever change his life. Boyd has spent the last three weeks at the med, resting and recovering from a gunshot wound that left him paralyzed. "He just shot me for no reason," said Boyd. Boyd was working for Metro Taxi Cab on August 3rd when he was sent to this house, on 3409 Point Pleasant. When he arrived, around 2:30 in the morning, he noticed a man standing in the driveway on his cell phone. "When I unlocked my back door, he stuck half of his body in my car and stuck a pistol in my face. Told me don't move." - more... WHBQ-TV Channel 13 - (Memphis, Tennessee) Fearful taxi drivers want more security By Kim Boodram Story Created: Aug 25, 2010 at 12:53 AM ECT TAXI DRIVERS plying the Chaguanas to Curepe route are demanding heavier police presence at the various hubs, saying they believe this will help deter criminal activity. The demand follows the death of municipal police officer Jason Thomas, 37, who was fatally shot sometime after accepting an offer by three men to hire out his taxi from the Chaguanas stand on Monday night. The Express visited the Chaguanas stand yesterday and spoke to several taxi drivers, who all declined to use their names as many of them said that the suspects know they were seen. 0The mood on the stand yesterday was gloomy. "It is a strange thing when one of your colleagues get killed. Right now the mood here is not nice at all. He (Thomas) was a nice fella," said one taxi driver. Another taxi driver said those in his profession have been victimised for too long and nothing has been done to protect the people who provide an essential service to thousands of commuters on a daily basis. "Every year plenty taxi drivers get killed. We are in danger on the job and then when we go home our houses are also being robbed," said one taxi driver of 20 years. - more... Trinidad Express - (Port of Spain, Trinidad) Cab drivers want new company Say alleged violations against Metro Taxi is indication that Denver needs new company Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer Tuesday, August 24, 2010 A group of taxi drivers seeking to open their own cab service is using recent alleged violations against Metro Taxi as an example that the Denver area could use another company. Mile High Cab, a group of about 150 local cab drivers fighting to open their own service, points out that Metro Taxi is currently facing 54 alleged violations for allowing drivers to work more than 80 hours in eight consecutive days. The group of drivers says if companies like Metro Taxi are violating the so-called “80-in-8” rule, then that is an indication that there is not enough cabs on the road, but instead too many tired drivers. A proposal by Mile High Cab to open a new company was rejected by an administrative-law judge earlier this month because the judge ruled that the new company would damage existing local cab companies. An attorney for the group is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to overturn the judge’s ruling. Tom Russell, an attorney representing Mile High Cab, points out that Metro Taxi recently submitted a settlement agreement, which would have required the company to answer $148,000 in fines. According to the agreement, Metro Taxi would have paid $40,000 immediately and abided by various rules in exchange for the PUC forgiving the remaining $108,000. But an administrative-law judge on Friday rejected the settlement and ordered a hearing for Sept. 30. Russell says the recent alleged violations should compel the PUC to allow a fifth cab company in the Denver area. - more... Denver Daily News - (Denver, Colorado) Small taxi companies in Dallas area take on bigger firms in lawsuit over competition 03:26 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News A taxicab war has broken out in North Texas – pitting big taxi companies against smaller operators. The Association of Taxicab Operators, representing smaller companies and many individual taxi drivers, has sued Yellow Checker Cab Co. and its owner, Jack Bewley, alleging that he and his associate, Jeff Finkel, control a half-dozen companies that give them a stranglehold over cab operator permit pricing. The suit filed Friday says Bewley and Finkel control more than half the taxi business in the region and are breaking antitrust laws related to the pricing of fees that independent drivers must pay to operate in the region. The suit aims to force Bewley, Finkel and their companies, Yellow Cab and Irving Holdings Inc., to divest recent purchases of competitors and to stop the alleged price fixing. The association joined North Texas taxi companies Starcab, Alamo Cab, United Cab and others in filing the suit. Together they say they're being forced out of the market through anticompetitive practices. The action asks for the defendants to pay triple damages for breaking the Sherman Act, which governs competition. - more... The Dallas Morning News - (Dallas, Texas) Airport to seek single taxi company system August 24, 2010 06:39:00 PM PAT KELLY / News Herald Writer WEST BAY — Airport Authority board members asked staff and legal advisers Tuesday to put together specifications for bid proposals for a single taxi company to service the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Currently, 26 separate companies are listed under “taxi service” on the airport’s website, www.iflybeaches.com, and board members have said they received complaints about vehicle cleanliness and driver decorum for some companies. John Finch of Sunshine Shuttle, who has appeared before the board on several occasions urging a single transport company, made a pitch again Tuesday for a single company to handle taxi, shuttle and limousine service at the new airport. Sunshine Shuttle also operates out of Northwest Florida Regional Airport near Valparaiso and Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport. A single company would bring more consistent service and vehicles, including driver uniforms, to visitors arriving in Panama City Beach and other Panhandle communities, helping to protect the region’s “brand,” he said, a view echoed by board member Dawn Moliterno of Walton County. - more... The News Herald - (Panama City, Florida) Taxi deregulation would be good for passengers and drivers Restrictions on the number of cab licences result in higher fares and longer waits By GERMAIN BELZILE and VINCENT GELOSO Freelance August 25, 2010 For nearly 60 years, the number of taxis in Quebec has failed to keep pace with growth in population and income. In 1952, there were 4,978 taxis on the island of Montreal. Today, regulations limit the number to 4,445. Because of this scarcity, obtaining a taxi owner's permit in Montreal and Laval now costs more than $200,000. Limits on the number of taxi permits were instituted during the Second World War. In 1973, the Quebec government took over management of the taxi industry from cities. At that time taxi drivers who had permits issued by municipal authorities received owner's permits at no charge. From 1985 to 1990, the Quebec Department of Transport instituted a plan to buy back 1,287 permits in Montreal, and remove them from circulation. Today, getting a permit generally requires buying one from someone who decides to leave the industry. In 2009, there were a total of 8,254 taxis operating in Quebec. The very few new permits added since November 2000 (some 200 for the entire province) are valid for a maximum of five years and are non-transferable. Supply management policies, aimed at limiting the production of goods or services so as to inflate their prices, are familiar in Canada, due in particular to the marketing board system in use for milk, chickens and eggs, mainly. It is less well known, however, that the taxi industry is regulated in the same way, with similar consequences for consumers. Restricting the number of taxi owner permits, as is currently done in Quebec, usually results in higher fares and longer waiting times for consumers. - more... The Montreal Gazette - (Montreal, Quebec) A driven debate on taxi deregulation Proponents say it would be easier to enter and exit the industry By BEATRICE FANTONI, The Gazette August 25, 2010 Montreal's cab drivers are grumbling that Bixis and the 747 airport bus are taking away business, but a policy paper published Wednesday by the Montreal Economic Institute suggests deregulating the taxi industry would help the market adjust to changing supply and demand for cab rides. "Consumers on this side are actually big losers," said Vincent Geloso, a master's student at the London School of Economics, who co-wrote the paper with Germain Belzile, a researcher at the MEI. There currently aren't enough taxis in the city to meet the demand, he said, so people are waiting longer for cabs these days. "It's also harmful for new entrants into the market because of the limited supply of permits. To just begin to work as a cab driver, you have to pay close to $200,000," he said. The provincial transport commission limits the number of taxi permits available in Quebec. There are currently 4,442 permits in use in Montreal. They are resold by existing owners, although they actually have no real value. The high price tag for a permit reflects the value would-be cab drivers are willing to pay to get into the market. By removing the restriction on the number of taxis operating, drivers could get into -and out of -the market more easily, the policy paper says. - more... The Montreal Gazette - (Montreal, Gazette) Report recommends Regina taxi overhaul Last Updated: Monday, August 23, 2010 CBC News Regina officials are mulling further regulation of the city's taxi industry in a move they say might improve overall service. While the city is currently in charge of setting taxi rates and regulating the number of cabs allowed on the streets, it doesn't have any say over safety issues, cleanliness or driver qualifications. Because of this, the overall level of service — for tourists and residents alike — suffers, said Ward 4 Coun. Michael Fourgere. "It's all about servicing the public, those who come into Regina, the first point of contact," Fourgere said Monday. "The first impression of Regina at the airport is your taxi. So, we want to make sure we have the best taxi industry we can possibly have." A consultant's report released by the city Monday makes a number of recommendations, including: * Adopting GPS technology in virtually all cabs. * Requiring all taxis to be equipped to handle credit card payments. * Requiring virtually all taxi vehicle models on the road to be no more than six years old by 2013. * Adopting standards of personal appearance and dress for drivers. * Installing surveillance cameras to record images of every person who gets into or exits a taxi. * Creating a computerized dispatch system.more... CBC Saskatchewan - (Regina, Saskatchewan)
Teen lost leg after taxi driver deliberately ran him down over $20 taxi fare, court hears * By Sean Fewster * From: AdelaideNow * August 24, 2010 2:50PM A TAXI driver has admitted running down a boy who refused to pay a $20 fare leaving him with injuries that required a leg amputation. Taxi driver Baljeet Singh, 22, of Adelaide, appeared in the District Court today, reported AdelaideNow. He pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious harm by dangerous driving, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident after causing physical harm by careless driving. In April 2009, Singh picked up a group of teenagers including Dung Tran, then 15 in the city. The teens later ran from the cab without paying the $20 fare. - more... Herald Sun - (Melbourne, Australia) |
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