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AIRPORT VOICE, JUNE 2021 23
Contact Amanda Tarley
718 249 9640
Taxi cab
turbulence at
JFK Airport
Unemployment blamed for driver shortage
BY JEFF YAPALATER
The Yellow Cab at the airport is in
short supply. On a regular basis it is
reported that there is a shortage of
cabs to service the travelers from JFK.
Since the pandemic began in earnest
back in April 2020 the Taxi holding area
had been very quiet. There were a few
thousand travelers a day and everyone
was afraid of catching Covid, so many
taxi owners and drivers just stopped
coming to the airport for business.
While the number of travelers has
increased drastically over the past few
months, the numbers of yellow taxis
has not kept up with the need.
So we asked some of the drivers
that wait in the holding area what they
thought of the situation. There was
a majority opinion that the extended
and additional unemployment benefits,
Uber, Lyft, Black Cars, driver financial
problems and domestic issues have
prevented many from returning currently
to this work.
One old-timer said that the unemployment
had the biggest impact. He
said with the uncertainty of volume of
work, many drivers were not coming in
until their benefits ended.
Another fellow said that he had
bought a Medallion for close to a million
dollars and that he was still liable
for the payments despite the fall off
in business. He had to declare bankruptcy
and is now leasing a cab. The
lease price has fallen from about
$1200-1500 a week to around $500.
Now he can afford to pay for a lease
and make a living but still has to deal
with the legal issue. He said fleet owners
are making deals since they have
cars in storage and need to generate
cash.
Another driver Eli, said that he too
agreed with the above reasons for
lack of drivers. He did add though that
some taxi drivers were lost to the trucking
industry. They received their CDL
and are now living in a more affordable
area outside of Metro NY and driving
long distance.
Jimmy C. has been driving part time
since 2002 and even as a 19 year old.
He is the father of -21 year old and a
two year-old, yes, same wife.
He was found standing by the service
building chatting with friends.
Other drivers were in small groups
playing cards on makeshift gaming
boards. Many smoking and some chatting
in a foreign language, perhaps
Bengali since many taxi drivers today
are from Bangladesh according to
Jimmy. He has two jobs; one with the
Sanitation Department and the other is
PT with the Yellow Cab.
He said that he did not work for a
while during the height of the pandemic
but now works a couple or few
days a week by leasing a cab clearing
about $1000 on a good week depending
on the time he puts in. Asked if he
was displeased with those taking the
unemployment benefit he said it had
mixed feelings since his father, a driver
for years is now taking the extended
benefits.
Asked what he would recommend
to the Port if he could, he suggested
some kind of better food, and some
health service in the open space in the
building where the food used to be. He
said the bathrooms were pretty clean
give the number of men using it. As an
aside, there was not one woman driver
to be seen at the holding area where
many men were sitting in open doored
cards awaiting their turn to be called for
service in one of the terminals. Asked
what he thought the vaccine rate is, he
guessed about 50% of the drivers with
many drivers not disclosing their vaccine
status.
Based on the responses, it seems
that there are specific reasons for the
lack of Yellow cab drivers. The pandemic
had had unforeseen impact on
this industry as it has on many areas
of aviation and the general business
community. However it was widely believed
by those at the Holding area that
more drivers will return to the job that
know and have made a living in the
past once their personal economic and
health issues are back to a more normal
state.
Grand Central
Parkway improvement
NEW exit RAMP 13W eases traffic
New Exit 13W Ramp from Eastbound
Grand Central Parkway (GCP)
to Westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway
Will Reduce Back-Ups and Ease
Travel to JFK Airport. Completion of
this after many years of roadwork at
the interchange is one of the first steps
in reducing traffic congestion to the
airport. Plans for constructing another
lane from this to JFK will also reduce
traffic both for passengers and truckers
serving the cargo industry at the
airport.
The new eastbound GCP Exit
13W ramp creates a new, easier-tonavigate
traffic pattern for motorists
wanting to access westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway and reduces
back-ups for motorists heading
to the JFK Airport and other destinations.
The new southbound Van
Wyck Expressway (VWE) Exit 7 ramp
provides access to westbound Jackie
Robinson Parkway, westbound Union
Turnpike and Queens Boulevard. The
new ramps were constructed as part
of the State Department of Transportation’s
ongoing $365 million Kew
Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project.
The new Exit 13W ramp removed
a notorious bottleneck that had existed
because motorists on the eastbound
GCP had to access the westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway via
a ramp that was in close proximity to
the ramp connecting the GCP to JFK
Airport and the southbound VWE.
Under the new traffic pattern, the
Exit 13W ramp has been relocated
from the right side of the parkway to
the left and moved approximately a
quarter mile east of its previous location.
Motorists wanting to access
westbound Jackie Robinson Parkway
from eastbound GCP will now remain
in the left lane as the old Exit 13W
ramp is closed. The relocation of the
Exit 13W ramp and the elimination of
a stop sign where eastbound Grand
Central Parkway merged with westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway will
significantly enhance traffic flow and
reduce congestion.