Cabdrivers Rally For Right To Use Cell Phones On Duty
Cabdrivers rallied Wednesday in Downtown Manhattan to call on the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to allow drivers to use hands-free cell phones while on duty.
Neeru Singh, a cabdriver, said that her cell phone saved her during an attempted robbery in Chelsea on Tuesday.
She says at the time she was on her cell phone -- talking on a conference call with five other taxi drivers. The other drivers say they heard the attack over the phone and came to Singh's aid.
Currently, it is illegal for drivers to use a hands free kit.
"In all professions workers have some form of communication that they carry around,” said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “It could be their cellphone, it could be a walkie-talkie, a CB radio, - or it could be a telephone at their desk. Why are taxi drivers expected to work 12 hours a day, without any live communication, like a cell phone?”
"We should be allowed to use a cell phone, this type of emergency could be with any professional driver anywhere," said another woman cabdriver.
The TLC responded with a statement that said, "Unfortunately, cell phone abuse has resulted in many instances of drivers leaving their passengers feeling improperly served and downright unsafe, which studies agree is a true concern."
source
Neeru Singh, a cabdriver, said that her cell phone saved her during an attempted robbery in Chelsea on Tuesday.
She says at the time she was on her cell phone -- talking on a conference call with five other taxi drivers. The other drivers say they heard the attack over the phone and came to Singh's aid.
Currently, it is illegal for drivers to use a hands free kit.
"In all professions workers have some form of communication that they carry around,” said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. “It could be their cellphone, it could be a walkie-talkie, a CB radio, - or it could be a telephone at their desk. Why are taxi drivers expected to work 12 hours a day, without any live communication, like a cell phone?”
"We should be allowed to use a cell phone, this type of emergency could be with any professional driver anywhere," said another woman cabdriver.
The TLC responded with a statement that said, "Unfortunately, cell phone abuse has resulted in many instances of drivers leaving their passengers feeling improperly served and downright unsafe, which studies agree is a true concern."
source
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