TLCMKT News (09.18.20): Taxi Driver Shot, TLC Extends FHV License Pause by 6 Months, Subway & Bus Riders Face $50 Fine for Refusing to Wear a Mask, $10 Billion Needed to Keep Broadway Alive

Top TLCMKT NYC headlines for Friday, September 18th 2020

Select TLCMKT news headlines for Friday, September 18th 2020.

Photo Credit: ruddy.media

Taxi driver shot in the neck during attempted robbery in Brooklyn (NY Post)

• A Brooklyn green cab driver was shot in the neck early Friday by an irate passenger upset about the fare, cops and police sources said.

• Cabbie Perviaz Iqbal, 62, was picking up his last fare of the night — a woman, from Ashford Street in East New York, when, midway through the ride, she asked him to pick up a friend at Saratoga Avenue in Brownsville.

  Iqbal told the duo the fare was $32. “They paid $31,” his daughter Samra Perviaz told the Post. “The guy then said, ‘Give me back $10.’ My dad said ‘no.’”

  “He had the car phone sitting on the seat beside him,” she added. “The guy tried to snatch it. His hand couldn’t go through the slot. It was too small.” The unidentified backseat passenger then opened the partition and put a gun to the driver’s neck, the sources said.

  “That’s when they shot my father and opened the door and ran,” empty-handed, Samra said. “The bullet went through the back of his shirt collar and touched the back of his head,” she added. “He felt pain. He touched the back of his head and it was bleeding. He had blood on his shirt.”

  Still, he was able to drive himself to Evergreen Avenue in Bushwick, where he called 911, according to police sources.

• Mr. Iqbal was discharged from Kings County Hospital early this morning. He has been driving a cab for 20 years and has never been the victim of an assault or robbery.

• Link to story

TLC Issues For-Hire Vehicle License Determination (TLCMKT)

• NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) today issued its biannual review of factors to determine whether the issuance of additional For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) licenses are needed to serve the riding public.

  “Presently, there are enough vehicles across all segments of the for-hire transportation industry to service demand. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the for-hire vehicle licensing pause. TLC will conduct a full review again in February 2021.” - TLC Commissioner Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk

• Link to story

Subway, bus riders face $50 fine for refusing to wear a mask (Crain’s)

• Commuters who refuse to wear a mask on New York City subways, trains and buses could face a $50 fine starting Monday.

• MTA Chairman Patrick Foye said the agency's surveys across the vast transit system spanning New York City and suburban communities suggest compliance is as high as 96% on city buses, 90% on subways and over 90% on Metro North and Long Island Rail Road.

• Penalty will be enforced by MTA police and NYPD officers — not transit workers.

• Link to story

Photo Credit: Sudan Ouyang

$10 billion needed to keep Broadway and nation’s live entertainment business shining bright, says Schumer (NY Daily News)

• At a Times Square news conference, Schumer (D-N.Y.) shined a spotlight on a proposed $10 billion federal grant program to boost Broadway and other U.S. live entertainment venues.

• The cash — to be spread around the country — will help save 100,000 full-time jobs in New York’s theater industry, which Schumer says delivered $14.7 billion to the city’s economy in its 2018-2019 season.

• Broadway went dark March 12, in the early stages of the pandemic shutdown with theaters expected to stay closed until sometime next year.

  “This is the longest shutdown by far in our 100-plus year history on Broadway, and our return is still out of reach…This means that workers are out of work…Broadway is labor. Onstage, of course, you see fantastic performers. But backstage musicians, stagehands, hair and makeup, ticket takers, ushers — this is the life force of Broadway, and we are 14 unions strong." - Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions.

• Link to story

Finally, for those who celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Shana Tova!

The TLCMKT Newsletter is written by Dawood Mian, Founder & CEO of TLCMKT. I cover the NYC ridehailing industry and related news. Search TLCMKT for TLC cars, parts, service, accessories, professional services, reviews & more. Find great deals at TLCMKT.COM.