I
nawindowlessbasementbeneatha
Tibetan restaurant in thepartof
JacksonHeights,Queens, knownas
Little India, 10grownmensit in rows
behind tinyschooldesks.Outside,
theL train thunderspast,momentarilydrowningout
theendlessstreamof trafficnoise.
“Cellphonesoff,paperandpencils ready,”says
teacherAJGojia.Today’s lesson isonCentralPark.
“CentralParkhashowmanysides?Four!What is the
nameof thenorthside?CPN!Whatdoes that stand
for?CentralParkNorth!”Hisstudentsdiligently
repeathisanswersand takenotes.Theyhave, after
all, eachpaidUS$600 toattendGojia’sclass,which
aims to teach them thebasicsneeded topass the
licensing test tobecomea taxidriver for thecity’s
iconicyellowcabs.
Hacks–a term forNewYork’scabbies that
originates from thehorse-drawnhackneycarriages
thatprecededmotorisedcabs–havea longhistory
inNewYork.Today, thecity ishome toyellowcabs,
greencabs–knownas“boro taxis”– thatwere
controversially introduced in2013 topickup from
theouterboroughs, andover40,000other for-hire
vehicles, includingaround 14,000Ubercars.
But it’s theyellow taxis that remainanemblem
of thecity.Everyyear, they transport236million
passengersonanestimated 175million ridesacross
NewYork.Theycanbe foundcriss-crossing thefive
boroughsatany timeofdayornight, ferrying locals
andout-of-townersalike, and theyalsooffermany
visitors theirfirstglimpseofNewYork, as theymake
theirway from theairport.
Even forafirst-timer,NewYorkcabsare familiar,
recognisable from thecountlessfilmsand television
shows thatuse them toset thescene.From the
openingof
BreakfastatTiffany’s
toRobertDeNiro’s
portrayalof lonely,disillusionedTravisBickle
inScorsese’s 1976classic
TaxiDriver
andDanny
DeVito’sdespoticdispatcher,LouieDePalma, in
Americansitcom
Taxi
.Andyet,mostof thosewho
reclineon theupholsterydon’t reallyknowmuch
aboutwhere theycame from, and the livesof those
whodrive them.
Thefirstyellowcabsappeared in 1912,when
businessmanAlbertRockwell startedhisYellow
TaxicabCo (apparently, yellowwashiswifeNettie’s
favouritecolour).By the 1930s,however, theGreat
Depressionhadhit, and thereweremorecabdrivers
–anestimated30,000– thanpassengers. So, in 1937,
MayorFiorelloLaGuardia introduced themedallion
system,which limited thenumberof licensed taxis
to 11,787. Incredibly, thisnumber remainedstable
until 1996,when theTaxi&LimousineCommission
(TLC)added 133new licenses.Today, thereare 13,605
medallioncabs in thecity.
»
Richard
Wissak
Thefleetowner
New York’s number one taxi company
–55 Stan–was started theold-
fashionedway, saysRichardWissak,
the garage’s third-generationowner-
operator.Wissak’s grandfather, Elias,
bought his firstmedallion in 1938, and
established the garage in 1956.
“My family didn’t comeover on
the
Mayflower
, so they didwhatever
they could toearn a living in those
days,” saysRichard. “My grandfather
liked thebusiness, and slowly
accumulatedmorecabs, thenpassed
the taxi garagedown tomy father,
Stanley.”Now87 years old, Richard’s
father still comes into the garage
in Long IslandCity, Queens, by 4am
most days towork as adispatcher.
Richardworkedpart-time at the
garage inhigh school, beforeheading
toBoston to study law. But, after a
number of years as an attorney, he
decided itwas about time for him to
return to the family business.
“In a city likeNew York that
never sleeps, anything canhappen
– accidents, sickpassengers, cars
breakingdown, lost property,
complaints. This is a24-hour, seven-
day aweekoperation, and I’mhere
six days aweek, rain, snow, or heat.
I always liked this business, though.”
The garage is home to 140cabs
andhas from500 to600drivers on
thebooks. For several decades, this
included Johnnie “Spider” Footman–
who, at 94, wasNew York’s oldest
cabbiewhenhepassed away in2013.
Stanley andRichard know all of them.
“Thedrivers areour customers,” says
Richard. “Just like thepassengers
in theback seat of the taxi are the
drivers’ customers.”
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