How Are We Going to Cover This Cab-Baby Story?Amira: Do you have any good angles for this cab-baby story?
Catucci: That’s tough. You can be funny, but you don’t want to go overboard. There’s a million and one tasteless jokes to make.
Amira: Haha, yeah, I know.
Amira: I mean, the baby’s probably better off. The dad doesn’t really seem like a stand-up guy.
Catucci: You could go the heartwarming route, like here’s something for the city to rally around.
Catucci: When was the last time there was a story like this to capture our imagination? Baby Jessica had a well; we have this girl in a livery cab. Or something.
Amira: Yeah, that could work.
Catucci: It’s a sign of the new New York.
Amira: It’s a little strange that Commissioner Kelly is surprised that nobody recognized this baby. I mean, how many babies do you know?
Catucci: Babies all look same. (Wait … now that I look at the photo again, that’s my baby!)
Amira: Exactly. It’s like saying, “Whose Chihuahua is this?”
intel
This Week, Give Cab Drivers a Little CreditIf you’ve ridden in New York taxis for a long time, you’re probably already wary of the credit-card machines that have been installed in many of them. The ones that have been in cabs for a couple of years now never really worked, and not handing over cash just feels weird. The Post reveals today that cab drivers are also suspicious of the devices. In fact, many of them would do anything to prevent you from swiping. According to the tabloid, they’d rather just grab your cold, hard cash and will lie about broken machines or fake policies to make sure that’s how you pay. The Post doesn’t specifically explain why some drivers would rather have you pay them in cash, but the implication that most cabbies are cheats is pretty heavy throughout the piece. The problem is so bad that the head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission himself was once prevented from using a credit card by a deceitful cabbie. The cabbies’ union claims that the problem is the equipment, not the drivers. After the jump, some technical advice on what to do to avoid this problem.
in other news
Cab Strike Averted by Capitalist Greed?
Yesterday, we told you about the new, GPS-enabled monitors the city wants to make mandatory in yellow cabs. Some drivers are saying they’re ready to strike over the matter, claiming an invasion of privacy (the software would show, and record, the cab’s route) but more likely don’t want to cover the new toy’s cost (reported as $7,200). Today, we got word from a city official vigorously disputing that number.
in other news
Cabbies Suspicious of Big Brother’s Maps
Is the city’s plan to put a GPS tracking device on every cab an innocuous innovation or a case of the Big Brother at its worst? As with most taxi-related quandaries, the answer depends on whether you’re in the driver’s or the passenger’s seat. Some drivers are ready to strike over the issue, seeing it as an attack on their civil liberties. In the narrowest technical sense, that view doesn’t stand: There’s nothing more sinister about collecting information on a cab’s whereabouts during the shift than about requiring the drivers to fill out a log. Which they currently are required to do.
21 questions
‘Cash Cab’ Host Ben Bailey Experimented With Sushi, Didn’t Like ItName: Ben Bailey
Age: 35
Job: Comedian and host of the Discovery Channel’s Cash Cab, where passengers answer trivia questions for money during their ride.
Neighborhood: Battery Park City
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Fiorello LaGuardia.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
There are too many great meals to pick one out. We are so spoiled; everything is great. I recently gave sushi another chance at Japonais, and I loved it. I also had a great filet there. I tried sushi once before, and it was bad. Literally bad. It ruined sushi for me for almost a decade, which is tragic.
