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 AutoMarketplace 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
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.
AutoMarketplace NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace on YouTube ▶️