Tale of Three Cities

The city of Los Angeles licenses about 1,150 cabs--scarcely one-tenth the number (11,787) of authorized cabs cruising New York City.

To own a cab in New York, one must purchase a “medallion” that typically sells for a whopping $140,000. In Los Angeles, an owner/operator buys into a taxicab association for an initial cost of about $27,000.

On average, Los Angeles suspends two or three drivers a week for overcharging, discourtesy or other infractions, according to Department of Transportation Engineer David G. Leatherman. In New York City, 137 cab drivers were recently suspended in a single week, according to Tony Carter, a spokesman for that city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission.

By contrast, courtesy seems to abound north of the border. In Toronto--which boasts about 3,300 licensed cabs--suspensions average a mere 50 drivers a year for similar infractions, according to Roy Van Veen, director of administration for the Metropolitan Licensing Commission. Taxi drivers in Toronto are expected to be “civil and well-behaved,” Van Veen said. “I guess it’s tradition. Cab drivers know the rules.”