Comments on Advance Indiana™: Ballard Administration Puts Many Muslim Taxi Cab Drivers Out Of Work

And since when do taxi's not have stains? I do...

2012-12-20T01:18:25.568-05:00

And since when do taxi's not have stains? I don't think I've ever been in a pimple no cost cab.

taxi cab pretoria

I can't speak on any political considerations ...

2010-08-07T00:43:43.184-05:00

I can't speak on any political considerations but I can speak about how commerce/business operates in Africa. I believe the issue is cultural.

I support strict enforment of all rules and regulations. Corruption rules in Africa. There is no enforcement of any regulations because of the corruption.

I too noticed the driver showing up for work wearing sandals. I also saw the interview with an owner stating he didn't feel as though he should have to meet current regulations.

I believe the city should positively identify every taxi driver. I also would urge an complete audit of the taxi companies found in violation of city rules. I would wager many drivers are not who they claim to be.

Before screaming racism just know I am not white; I'm black.

There are 900 taxi Drivers in the city of Indianap...

2010-08-05T22:58:55.138-05:00

There are 900 taxi Drivers in the city of Indianapolis and every driver knows at least 3 people, which means when the election arrives Ballard will suffor because there are at least 27000 vote that he will lose which means he will definetly lose the election of next term, and then he will be out of the city. Many people dont realize the Ballad(the meyor) is an EX soldier, he's a marines vetern want to make the city of Indianapolis like one of his militery bases. He needs to worry about more important things that the city need to over come and stop cracking down on poor immigrants who works the most dangerous job and undesirable job by many Americans. I drive a TAXI myself i have gotten robed twice with a gun point, why the city or the news did not makes a big deal out of it.Actually my case has forgotten along with many simillar cases. This is getting very old, he need to bring more jobs to the city and threat the peolpe equally with respect.

Paul some of us know what we are talking about and...

2010-08-05T09:21:20.078-05:00

Paul some of us know what we are talking about and some (you) just want to run your mouth.
I'm the son of a taxi driver (30+ years) and fire is the reason for the shoe requirement, I remember having the conversation with my father.
The codes may be dated but they are still the code.

It's interesting to see a mix of reactions. So...

2010-08-04T18:15:10.783-05:00

It's interesting to see a mix of reactions. Some supporting the taxi, and some supporting the city.

In Indy, we are in the unusual position of relatively high taxi fairs along with no good option for public transportation. Contrast that with places like DC, which have a very good public transit system with the Metro. So anyone who doesn't want to grab a cap can more than likely use that.

Also, I'm not sure how efficiently capitalism will eliminate these companies. When I was in Chicago a few years ago with family, we took cabs a few times. We didn't do any research on cab companies. We just grabbed what was nearby. Sometimes we had drivers who knew where they were going. Other times, it seemed like it took much longer than needed. And at least once, I was told that I had to pay cash since the guy didn't take credit cards (cab drivers are required to take CC in Chicago).

I'll be honest. I don't know how I feel on this issue and, as a resident, I fortunately haven't had to deal with cabs in the city

I don't know if this is still the case, but I ...

2010-08-04T16:58:03.619-05:00

I don't know if this is still the case, but I know years ago the cabs in D.C. were not regulated. As a consequence, it was one of the cheapest cities in the country to take a cab ride because of all of the competition. Indy's ordinance is definitely written to cut out the smaller operators. You either have to go big by going deep into debt to get started or bend the rules like these smaller operators obviously chose to do in order to offer taxi service. I suspect the campaign contributions from the big taxi cab company played a part in the administration's decision since most decisions it makes are for the benefit of the people who contribute to Ballard's re-election campaign.

Obviously no one here has ridden in taxis in New Y...

2010-08-04T16:25:16.425-05:00

Obviously no one here has ridden in taxis in New York or Chicago or LA -- where if you get a driver fluent in English, you feel as though you've won the lottery!

Come on, Indy! If we're to be a world class city, we should act like one.

This probably has more to do with political contributions than "image".

I have no problem with them enforcing the code req...

2010-08-04T15:24:01.260-05:00

I have no problem with them enforcing the code requirements. The complaints were largely against taxi cab services owned and operated by Muslims. I, too, had previously stated how I wouldn't use some of these taxi cab services because of the language barrier issues, high fares and the rude behavior of some of their drivers before the City even announced the crackdown. I would encourage people to use the Carey Share-A-Ride service from downtown to the airport. You get to ride in a nice, clean limo staffed with friendly drivers and meet other interesting people who are visiting the city. As for the religious issue, admittedly there is a bit of facitiousness on my part in raising it. I got bashed for saying we shouldn't install foot baths for the Muslim taxi drivers. Why not raise the question of whether there is an effort now to put them out of business because someone has decided it's not good for the city's image or for some other reason not articulated by the city as we prepare to host the Super Bowl to have so many Muslim taxi cab drivers?

Oh, yeah, a cab driver should be dressed appropria...

2010-08-04T14:59:29.106-05:00

Oh, yeah, a cab driver should be dressed appropriately and sandals do NOT cut it!

Indy Taxi's are a factor that travelers get of...

2010-08-04T14:58:13.976-05:00

Indy Taxi's are a factor that travelers get of our city when they come to visit...if they have driver's falling asleep, with horrific body odor, taking "the long way", well, you judge if they want to come back.

The city has reasonable rules for taxi's: having a dispatch center is a good rule, keeping the cabs clean, mandating they accept credit cards, mandating the cabs be in safe operational condition.

I'm glad they're cracking down!!!!

However, it's not like AI to make a religious issue out of something that's not....what's up w/that? This has nothing to do with religion.

Did anyone notice the photo of the taxi cab driver...

2010-08-04T13:36:21.395-05:00

Did anyone notice the photo of the taxi cab driver for Freedom Cab that was included with the story? It included this caption: "Adan Ibrahim, a driver with Freedom Taxi, came to work Tuesday because he had not heard that the company's license had been denied because of violations of city code. He is one of about 160 drivers at seven companies who can't work there until violations are corrected."

The photo shows Adan wearing sandals as he showed up to work.

Well, I know the owners of yellow cab. Sergio liv...

2010-08-04T12:53:34.644-05:00

Well, I know the owners of yellow cab. Sergio lived at my house for a couple years when he was yellow cab gneral manager. I intoduced him to his business partner shortly before they bought the cab company together.

They're really nice guys and I love them both a lot. They distanced themselves from me a bit in the summer of 2007 when I targeted political activism against Peterson.

Scott, Sergio's partner, came up with the idea of partnering yellow cab on the Peace In The Streets project.

I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that today they are contributors to Ballard's campaign. They were also generous contributors to Mayor Peterson. I'm pretty sure they try to make friends with whoever runs the city since they are the largest transportation company in Indiana.

With as much hutzpah (ironically), as one could po...

2010-08-04T12:49:08.434-05:00

With as much hutzpah (ironically), as one could possibly imagine, a mosque is to be built in the home of the Knicks, near where approximately 3,000 died to Islamic extremists. Yet, here with the corn and the beans and the Hicks- it takes a pending fiscal orgy by the all-mighty National Football League to bring Islamic taxi drivers to a temporary halt.

Anything strange about this picture?

Sandals are more an issue with getting stuck in/un...

2010-08-04T12:35:09.223-05:00

Sandals are more an issue with getting stuck in/under the pedals.

Translation: "we must deny people their right...

2010-08-04T10:48:49.353-05:00

Translation: "we must deny people their right to engage in commerce because we think they are dirty or can't speak well?"

I agree with HFFT. But, then again, what is government if not mean. This is what regulations and restrictions typically do, create barriers to entry and entrench the established or well connected.

We need more competition not less. I wonder how many of the "complaints" they might have gotten came from people associated with the other cab companies in some way. People should be free to engage in commerce so long as they do not violate the rights of others.

Yeah, IndyErnie, those "engine fires" co...

2010-08-04T10:25:43.785-05:00

Yeah, IndyErnie, those "engine fires" coming into the cab happen all the time. FYI, that was sarcasm.

I've been driving for 33 years. Still waiting for my car to catch on fire.

I wonder, has Yellow funded Ballard or any of the ...

2010-08-04T09:46:58.392-05:00

I wonder, has Yellow funded Ballard or any of the Republicans?

This is how you win when the Republicans are in control.

Sorry Mel but the city’s concerns matter. Footwea...

2010-08-04T09:36:13.317-05:00

Sorry Mel but the city’s concerns matter.

Footwear is required in case of a fire. Sandals just won't protect the driver’s feet if an engine fire breaks out and that could put the passengers at a greater risk.

Seats can easily be covered with vinyl. Every city has the same code for taxis.

If you can't communicate with the driver then how do we know that out of town business travelers will get to meetings on time and at the right address?

Sandals? Really? When it is 90+ degrees every da...

2010-08-04T08:09:24.711-05:00

Sandals? Really? When it is 90+ degrees every day?

And since when do taxi's not have stains? I don't think I've ever been in a blemish free taxi.

I expect when I take a cab in a "world class" city that I'll get a driver who doesn't speak a lot of English. Isn't that the case in NYC and Chicago?

I think this is just plain mean.