Another day, another attempt to knock the so-called "Taxi of Tomorrow" off the road before it is too late. In addition to recent attempts from the City Council and the Comptroller's office to stop the non-hybrid, non-handicap accessible, Nissan NV-200 from becoming the only yellow cab in the five boroughs, a new lawsuit has emerged. The Journal is reporting that the Greater New York Taxi Association filed a suit on Friday arguing that the city has way overstepped its authority with the new cab.
"The bottom line is they've completely overreached," Ethan Gerber, the association's executive director, told the Journal. Gerber and his group are arguing that though the TLC is permitted to set the standards for vehicles its charter does not permit it to require that one cab be used exclusively. Further, they point out that the cab the TLC picked to be its "Taxi of Tomorrow" actually breaks the law, which requires that the TLC have a hybrid car option. The Nissan is gas-only and would replace some hybrids already on the road.
This is just the latest attempt to stall the city's plan to replace its fleet of cabs. But while previous ones have focused on the fact that the Nissan is not handicap accessible (the city's response? We have no "obligation" to have handicap accessible cabs) this one's attack might actually do the trick.
Still, the TLC is remaining positive. "The Taxi of Tomorrow will give riders the safest, most comfortable and efficient taxi ride in the city's history, and we remain dedicated to the goal of bringing it to New Yorkers," a TLC spokesman said. Eh, we still preferred the Turkish Karsan Kab, which would have been built in Brooklyn!
