By:Hector Flores
Temporary cabbie licenses give taxi drivers the ability to operate a cab for a month, before criminal background checks are performed on them. A Herald investigation recently revealed that a Merrick cabbie with a record of driving under the influence of drugs was issued a temporary town license. He was supposed to have met with the town about his record, but never did. Four months later, police arrested the cabbie and charged him with raping a customer while on the job.
The town then decided to review temporary taxi licenses, with the intent of doing away with them, said town Clerk Mark Bonilla.
Cab company owners who argued for temporary licensing said that without it, they'll have a hard time finding enough drivers for their cabs. Their fear is that forcing cab companies to wait a month while background checks are performed might leave them short-staffed.
"The whole taxi industry is struggling to get drivers," said Lawrence Blessinger Jr., vice president of All Island Transportation in Merrick. "As of right now, 20 to 25 percent of my taxis are without drivers, and that is with permits still available. I can only imagine how my numbers are going to rise once the temporary licenses are gone."
Blessinger added, "If a driver doesn't have his permit, then he can't drive. If he can't drive, then he can't get paid. What driver is going to want to work for a cab company that will pay him a month after he is hired? Drivers who can't get their permits in Hempstead will just go to another jurisdiction where they can."
Steve Kaufman, a representative of Long Island Yellow Cab in Levittown, added that cab drivers must pay a $115 in fees before they're hired. "This covers the $5 passport photo, $20 for a Class E license, $75 to the state Bureau of Criminal Justice [for the criminal background check] and $15 for the hack license," Kaufman said. "How are these drivers going to take a job that requires them to pay $115 to start and has them wait a month before they can recoup their money?"
But Phil Fortuna, owner of Long Island Checkered Cab of Merrick, supports the idea of eliminating temporary licenses. Fortuna owns a Queens cab company. In New York City, cabbies can't get their taxi licenses until criminal background checks have been performed. "The drivers know that they can't drive a cab until their background checks are completed," he said.
Town residents like Rhonda Barsel, of Hewlett Neck, also support eliminating temporary licenses. She lost her 15-year-old son, Adam, in a cab accident in 2000. According to reports, the cabbie was driving too fast to handle an off-ramp on the Cross Island Parkway, and his van overturned, killing Adam, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Ever since, Rhonda Barsel has lobbied for tougher laws to regulate the taxi industry.
"My view is that we need strong and legitimate [taxi] licensing. You don't put a bus driver on a bus driving with that type of temporary licensing," said Barsel. She added that cabbies "are put in a position of driving people around. They are responsible for people."
Barsel said she planned to begin a letter-writing campaign to Bonilla, calling for the elimination of temporary licenses.
Hempstead spokeswoman Susie Trenkle said the town has made no decision yet whether it will do away with temporary licenses. It will continue to collect testimony from people who are concerned about the issue.
"Right now, we are listening to both sides and will consider what's best for the community," she said.
