Proposed plate seizure not a surprise

“It was just a matter of time”

To the Editor, Taxi News:

Regarding the cancellation of shelved plates a year from now, while deeply disturbing to those owners who are impacted, it should come as no surprise.  Granted, the plates in question are registered to the holders, who, for legitimate reasons, are no longer able to operate them.  That said, ultimately, they are the property of the City.  Given many plates have been on the shelf for years, it was just  a matter of time before such an ultimatum was announced.  From the City’s standpoint, it’s nothing more than a house cleaning measure.

Had the City come up with some measure of compensation for its negligence in failing to regulate Uber at the time, this would not be an issue.  But, alas, Council washed its hands of the gross mishandling of the Vehicle For  Hire file.  That a class-action suit filed on behalf of aggrieved cab owners failed to be certified by the courts merely exacerbated matters.  Left high and dry, thanks to the fact Uber was allowed to flood the market with affiliated operators, owners were left little choice but to shelve their plates.  Death by a thousand cuts.  It could be argued with some justification that the decision to cancel inactive plates is the unkindest cut of all.

Peter Pellier