NYC News: TLC Driver Hospitalized After Attack, Tolls Set to Increase 7%, City Council Candidate Risks Losing Home Due to Medallion, Subway Adds 2 More Hours of Service, Woman Dies At Queens Car Wash

Selected Auto Marketplace NYC Headlines for Monday, February 15th, 2021

Cabbie, 60, hospitalized with broken bones after Chelsea robbery: police (1010 WINS)

• A 60-year-old yellow cab driver suffered broken bones after he was punched repeatedly by a man on a bicycle in Manhattan on January 18th

• The TLC driver was stopped at the corner of 8th Avenue and W. 15th Street when a bicyclist rode up to his open driver-side window and punched him in the face, according to the NYPD

• The TLC driver stepped out of the cab and was punched in the face again by the cyclist, who then stole $155 from a cup-holder in the cab before fleeing

Image of man who is accused of punching a TLC Driver on January 18th (NYPD)

Link to story and video

New York’s MTA to Increase Tolls at Bridges, Tunnels by 7% (WSJ)

• The MTA is expected to raise tolls at bridges and tunnels by 7.1% in April as it struggles to fund subway, bus and rail services amid multibillion-dollar losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic

• The toll proposal, which will be considered by authority board members when they meet on February 18th, is likely to be approved

• Increase would raise one way tolls at major crossings, such as Queens-Midtown Tunnel and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, to $6.55 from $6.12

• Weekday traffic at the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels is down about 15% compared with pre-pandemic levels.

  “The MTA has relied on biennial toll increases since 2010 to provide modest and predictable increases and the Covid-19 pandemic’s devastating impact on our budget makes it even more important this year…These changes will help ensure we continue to run as much service as possible for customers.” - Ken Lovett, senior adviser to MTA Chairman Patrick Foye

Link to story

Help cabbies survive this perfect storm (NY Daily News Op-Ed)

• Queens City Council candidate Felicia Singh shares her family’s struggles related to Medallion debt

  “I used to have my dad drop me off a few feet away from the entrance of my school building because I was embarrassed that he drove a taxi. I thought about all my classmates whose dads did different things — who were doctors, lawyers, people who worked at banks. And I thought how uncool it was that my dad simply drove people around. It wasn’t until high school that I understood just how many hours it took for him to earn a mere $20…”

Link to story

New York City Subway Service Hours Expanding (CBS)

• As of Monday, Feb. 22, the New York City subway will shut down for just two hours a night for cleaning, from 2 a.m.-4 a.m. CBS2's Dick Brennan reports.

• A woman in Queens was struck and killed while waiting at a car wash in Ozone Park, Queens.

Auto Marketplace NYC (fka TLCMKT) Newsletter is written by Dawood Mian, Founder & CEO of Auto Marketplace NYC. He covers the NYC for-hire transportation industry and related news. Search Auto Marketplace NYC for cars, parts, tires, mechanics, reviews & more. Find great deals at TLCMKT.COM