The image of the laid-back New York City cabbie may not be long for this world. According to Yahoo News and WNYC, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission had been slated to vote on a new rule that could force the drivers to maintain a "professional appearance," but that vote has now been postponed until the end of next month.
As of right now, cabbies are simply required to be clean and neat and forbidden from wearing swim suits, tank tops and the like while behind the wheel. Needless to say, the chauffeurs of the Big Apple aren't exactly thrilled about the change – some are particularly fearful that the new rule will impact their ability to wear ethnic or religious clothing.
As the argument goes, the Taxi and Limousine Commission believes that cab drivers are the city's ambassadors – the first people most visitors are likely to come in contact with on a visit – and that they should be dressed accordingly. What's more, the organization admits that isn't really even something that they think they can enforce in any legal way. Instead, the move is more about reminding cab drivers of exactly how important they are to the city's tourism industry.
[Sources: Yahoo News, WNYC | Image: tomodea, CC 2.0]
As of right now, cabbies are simply required to be clean and neat and forbidden from wearing swim suits, tank tops and the like while behind the wheel. Needless to say, the chauffeurs of the Big Apple aren't exactly thrilled about the change – some are particularly fearful that the new rule will impact their ability to wear ethnic or religious clothing.
As the argument goes, the Taxi and Limousine Commission believes that cab drivers are the city's ambassadors – the first people most visitors are likely to come in contact with on a visit – and that they should be dressed accordingly. What's more, the organization admits that isn't really even something that they think they can enforce in any legal way. Instead, the move is more about reminding cab drivers of exactly how important they are to the city's tourism industry.
[Sources: Yahoo News, WNYC | Image: tomodea, CC 2.0]
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