A group called Livery Base Owners has approached the Taxi and Limousine Commission with a special request. The group wants to be allowed to protect themselves on the job from violent passengers or thieves by bringing licensed guns to work. The request comes at a time when the Taxi and Limousine Commission is working on a new plan for the five boroughs of New York concerning taxi rules.
It is expected that cab drivers will not be allowed to pack heat for protection but no final word has come down. The TLC has stated it is important for public safety to not allow weapons in taxicabs. But the trade group, which represents 128 bases that dispatch nearly 10,000 livery cars disagrees.
There is a big concern for safety of the drivers on the job and guns were not the only issue brought to the table by the group. In 2010, more than 400 taxi and livery cabs were robbed. One driver was fatally shot over a $12 cab far. In 2011, another driver was shot in the head during a Bronx robbery.
Senator Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) along with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 wants to give transit workers the ability to carry Tasers to protect themselves from harm. Bus drivers and subway conductors would be trained to carry the devise in order to also protect passengers in the event of an attack.
No word on the state of the request by the cab drivers group.
