What to Know
- Congressman Adriano Espaillat has asked TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi to step down "immediately"
- His request follows news that a sixth cab driver has taken his own life
- Taxi drivers face "excessive fines and [an] oversaturated market," Espaillat said
A New York City politician is calling on the head of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission to resign following a string of driver suicides.
Six yellow cab drivers have taken their own lives within the past several months, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance — including 59-year-old Abdul Saleh, who died by suicide this past week.
On Saturday, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, whose district includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx, asked TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi to step down “immediately.”
“Too many fathers have taken their lives due to the untenable working conditions, excessive fines and oversaturated market created for New York City taxi and livery drivers,” he said.
“Commissioner Joshi needs to resign now because she has failed to resolve or even address this issue, as we continue to witness more lives come to a tragic end,” he added.
NYTWA claims yellow cab drivers have been hurt by the city’s failure to regulate Uber and Lyft’s expansion. Many drivers are struggling financially, as the value of taxi medallions has plummeted
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The TLC didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support. The Crisis Text Line allows people to text 741-741 to connect with crisis counselors.
