Cabbies threaten strike over GPS systems

NEW YORK (AP) -- A group representing thousands of taxi drivers said last week it will idle cabs in September if the city goes ahead with a plan to require installation of GPS tracking systems.

Starting October 1, as the city's 13,000 taxis come up for inspections they must have the GPS equipment along with touch-screen monitors that will let passengers pay by credit card, check on news stories and look up restaurant and entertainment information.

If the Taxi & Limousine Commission abandons the GPS part of the plan, "then there's room to sit down and talk," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which counts more than 8,400 members.

But if the plan moves forward, she said, the group will specify the date, duration and other details of the potential work stoppage next month.

The Taxi Workers Alliance -- an advocacy group rather than a labor union -- said GPS devices would be an invasion of drivers' privacy because they could track cabs' movements.

Taxi officials say the two systems could boost ridership and drivers' incomes by eliminating the need for cash, while giving drivers useful traffic tips and giving passengers a better chance of finding lost items.

A spokesman for the taxi commission did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The alliance organized a one-day strike in 1998 to protest plans to raise taxi owners' liability insurance requirements and other changes. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

All About GPS Devices