New York City Eliminates English Test For Yellow Cab Drivers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City taxi drivers will no longer have to pass an English test under new rules designed to make it easier for immigrants to get behind the wheel of a yellow cab.

The test for a taxi license will be available in several languages under regulations that went into effect Friday.

The change was approved by the City Council in April and signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The New York Times reports that city officials sought parity with app-based ride services such as Uber, which don't require an English test.

The city's taxi drivers have been overwhelmingly foreign-born for decades.

According to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, just 4 percent of current drivers were born in the United States.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)