THE COST OF GOING GREEN

Earlier this week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a photo op with three hybrid taxis. Bloomberg has been advocating hybrid cabs for the past year. He has issued a mandate that all NYC Black cars, (those that ferry executives), must be hybrid by 2010. He also states that yellow cabs should take the initiative to "go green." The problem is that many yellow cab drivers simply cannot afford the cost of a hybrid car.

Yellow cab drivers, many of whom live in the 33rd., have asked Bloomberg for a $1 surcharge.

The surcharge would cover the cost of the rising price of gasoline. However Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the TLC are opposed to the surcharge, saying the drivers have gotten two raises in the past four years. "I don't think that at this point you need a fuel surcharge on taxis," Bloomberg said. "We need a surcharge on automobiles." The TLC claims the average driver earned about $290 a day in June, between $13.40 and $16 an hour depending on whether they have a hybrid car. But drivers state the opposite.

Several drivers said they had to work longer hours to make ends meet.
Victor Salazar, an owner-operator who drives a 2007 Toyota Sienna, and who took part in the protest, said, “To fill up the gas tank, I spend almost $80 per shift. My shift now is about 14 hours. I have to work more hours to compensate. I work six shifts a week. Actually it’s more like six and a half, because on my day off, I have to go out.”

Although "Going Green" is a necessary cause, it is difficult for the poor and the working class. For example, the cost of an energy efficient light bulb starts at $3.00. The price of a hybrid car is approximately $31,000. In the final analysis, money is saved and the environment is spared.

But, the initial cost needs to be subsidized for those who cannot afford it.
New York City enjoys a brisk tourist trade. Perhaps one of the highest ever experienced in NYC history. Thus, a $1 taxi surcharge is not unreasonable to ask. For a European tourist, this is the equivalent of .50 cents. And for the average taxi riding public, the $1 burden is a lot less cumbersome than the cost of living for a cab driver.

Mayor Bloomberg continues to appease the white collar contingent, overlooking the working class. In fairness, he has made great strides in the Black and Latino communities. However, " Going Green" means considering the Black and Brown also.

I call upon the City to grant a $1 surcharge to taxi drivers and to aid citizens with subsidies in the pursuit of creating a better environment for all New Yorkers.