BREAKING NEWS: Central Taxi will remain open through March
Heartened by a show of community and governmental support, the fleet’s owner has extended its operations by one month.
The long and winding road Central Taxi can only survive if residents and the government go the extra mile to save it.
BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK
Good news if you’ll be stepping off the train tonight, wanting a ride home: The owner of beleaguered Central Taxi has decided to keep the business going through the end of March. Behind the scenes, community members and local government officials are scrambling to keep the cars on the road for years to come.
Welcome news; work-arounds needed
“I got the news over the weekend,” said Central Taxi’s longtime manager, Peter Blier. The turnaround is in response to the way in which residents and local authorities—Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner foremost among them—have sprung into action to save the over 100-year-old concern. “We have never had this level of support from the government. Government has been our administrator forever,” Blier said. And yet, those in charge have not been kind to the taxi industry. “In fact, it was the state government that empowered Uber back in 2017, making a completely different playing field [for us and other taxis]. They [Ubers] are not taxis—they don’t have to get licensed, fingerprinted, or insured because they’re special,” Blier added.
Now, however, Supervisor Feiner is spearheading the effort to get government involved in helping Central Taxi transition from its current working model to another. The question, though, is how it can be done. “You need to have some kind of sustainable plan or else it’s futile. We don’t have the plan, but we have contacts, and we have emotional and organizational support,” Blier shared. “We will see if that translates to financial support, and that is yet to be determined.”
Cautious optimism
Supervisor Feiner thinks a viable solution can be found. “I got an email from a man in Bronxville who is a taxi driver there. He said that the big issue with Central Taxi is really the insurance. [Last week, Blier had cited high insurance costs as a factor in Central Taxi’s possible closure.] The man suggested that the state should come up with a plan where there would be pooled [and thus more affordable] insurance for taxi companies,” Feiner said. “If we reach out to town, village, and state legislatures, I really think we could arrange this.”
Additionally, he said, there has been a groundswell of community support. “We are getting a lot of interest and some good ideas from residents. There’s positive momentum. I think this is such a major issue—a lot of parents with small kids aren’t going to call for an Uber or Lyft, and there are a lot of elderly people who won’t, either,” he explained.
Asked if the New York State would financially support Central Taxi, Feiner expressed doubt. “But if we say we want funds to enable taxi companies to provide a safe means of transportation for children and for seniors—maybe if the taxi drivers will help them get up a flight of steps—then maybe there is a way of getting grants for that,” he speculated.
Need a not-Lyft? Central Taxi’s manager Peter Blier matches a customer with an available car.
Insider’s coverage applauded
Supervisor Feiner praised the Insider for its in-depth coverage of Central Taxi’s crisis, as well as the coverage provided by News 12. “There’s more attention, and I think that will motivate lawmakers to get more involved,” he said. “It generates momentum and makes it easier to save it.” Blier said that Feiner is trying to organize a Zoom call among stakeholders to explore shifting Central Taxi’s fleet-based format to one in which drivers would own their own vehicles.
“Everybody is happy about this. None of our customers wants us to close, so this is welcome,” Blier said. “The drivers have some momentary hope, but there’s a difference between hope and relief. Relief will come when we have instituted a plan. Hope is when someone cares enough to advocate on your behalf.” He is pulling for Central Taxi to stick around without any break in continuity. “Even just one day of no service would inflict pain, and we don’t want to cause pain to anyone,” he said. “Our owner has always made the analogy that a taxi should be like the light in your refrigerator. You can take it for granted that it will always be there.”