Cabbies, Council To Discuss Leasing

The City Council will hold a hearing April 30 to hear taxi drivers' complaints about a plan, recently approved by the city licensing commission, that would allow cab companies to lease taxis to drivers.

The Council instructed the city solicitor to draft legislation to end the leasing plan, but the council will postpone action on the motion until after "we've been educated on the issue," councilor Francis Duehay said last night.

The cabbies claim they will make less money if they must lease cabs from their owners. Most taxi drivers currently work as employees of cab companies and are paid a base rate.

"With leasing, we'd be responsible for everything. To keep up, we'd have to work longer hours, we'd make less money, and we'd have no security.' Peter Lober, a driver for seven years with the Yellow Cab Company, said last night.

Donald Mullin, the president of Teamsters 496, told the council that in Boston, where most cabbies lease their taxis, if a driver "books $60 in a shift after gas and oil he'll make $13.50. "If a cabbie is driving for a company, he will clear close to $30 in a shift, Mullins added.

"Three wouldn't be any leasing if you knew what was going on in Boston--cabbies fighting each other and all," Arthur Santoro, a Cambridge cabbie, said.

Lober charged the city licensing commission with making an "arrogant decision" to allow leasing. "We had 110 drivers in here to protest in February, and even after that they went ahead and did it," Lober said.