NYC Yellow Cab Drivers Concerned Over Elimination Of English Test
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City cab drivers are expressing concerns over a new law that does away with a once-mandatory English proficiency test for yellow cab drivers.
The change was approved by the City Council in April and signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio last week.
1010 WINS' John Montone headed to Penn Station to ask some local cabbies what they thought of the change.
Many cab drivers said if they couldn't communicate in English, they couldn't make a living.
"You have to be able to communicate with the passengers," Benjamin, a cab driver from Nigeria, said.
Others said that while those who are not proficient in English may be able to understand basic requests, more complicated directions may be more difficult for those who don't understand the language.
"I mean, if someone says 'Brooklyn,' even if you don't speak English, you can understand," cab driver Irving told Montone. "But where in Brooklyn -- that's the problem."
"You don't speak English, you can't understand what people want to do," another cab driver said.
The test will now be provided to Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed drivers in several different languages.
According to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, just 4 percent of current drivers were born in the United States.
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