NYC cabbies getting some costly soap
June 4, 2008 by Darlene WatsonPosted in: "Seemed like a good idea at the time", Contract disputes, Latest news & views
No, it’s not to take care of a hygiene problem. NYC’s cutting down on cabbies’ foul-mouthed habits.
New York taxi cabs have long had a reputation as … colorful characters. But that may be changing.
On Oct 8, 2007, one cab driver cut another cabbie off. Things turned ugly when the offended driver, Malik Rizwan, honked at Zbigniew Sobczak in protest. Sobczak promptly got out of his cab and started shouting expletives at Rizwan. Luckily neither cabbie had a passenger at the time.
A judge fined Sobczak $350 for verbal harassment. But the Taxi and Limousine Commission didn’t think that was punishment enough. They increased the fine to $1,000 and a 30-day suspension.
Matthew Daus, chairman of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, said the days of cabbies being able to verbally assault each other are over. He’s a proponent of overturning the 1982 case (TLC vs Baudin) that says profane taxi drivers are just part of NYC.
Sobczak’s lawyer said the decision was too harsh and cabbies holding their tongue would be against human nature.
We haven’t heard whether or not the lawyer verbally assaulted Daus because of his ruling.
