i am with a group called medallion holders association. during the last six years, there were biennial hearings to see of the drivers deserved a meter rate increase and on all three occasions, the controllers said yes. the consumer price index indicated that. the supervisors have the prerogative to ignore that recommendation and they did. i appreciate his body biting the bullet and having a substantial increase to the public even the members will not like it. i would like to thank chris who made an articulate and compassionate in -- speech on how they deserve this increase. on item 12 on would urge you to put out 35 medallions. i am sure that the city will have more fleet expansion as time goes on. there can be further hearings. on the part time medallion system, i think it is interesting. service needs are greater on friday and saturday nights than sunday morning. it will be interesting to have an experiment to see if there can be a part-time single operator system. the way it is designed in the criteria, it is lacking. the medallion asso

. >> i am here with the medallion holders association to support the medallion sales pilot program. it has been extremely successful and the benefit of multiple stakeholder groups. some of those problems are resurfacing. people are coming up to me every day and asks whether this will be reopened for them to sell their medallions the people that are going through the motions of putting in the minimum required work. there are 1400 people waiting to buy medallions. the staff indicated a while back home that if the process were opened up to people 60 and older, 250 people would qualify to match up. at the taxi revisory council meetings, there is an anti- business ideology that is somewhat pervasive. we are considering that item next week. i would urge you at your next meeting, only 11 remaining sellers that are qualified applied by the deadline for the pilot program. also on the short run, i think it might be in your interest to promulgate some transportation code amendments. if you are going to issue more taxing medallions, you can set up a four-year plan. even as the request for propo

medallion three years ago. i am president of the cab drivers association. i would like to welcome you to the new transportation director. i would like to convey the importance of the taxi industry, have its own division within the mta as it did when we moved into it. it makes no sense to me that entire industry which includes 1600 vehicles, around 10,000 drivers and support personnel be folded into the administration division and now in the finance division of the mta. the director has done an incredible job educating yourself about the industry. she has held over two ordered hours of town hall meetings and made herself available by visiting cab companies and attending various meetings. she studied the industry, including reviewing all the previous taxi commission hearing videos. as it stands now, she is the deputy tax a director. although the cfo is excellent, as a taxi director, she has lived and knowledge rent a standing of the industry. i may not agree with every decision she has made but she has demonstrated a sense of fairness and concern for stakehol

association. i want to support the meter increase that has been proposed and i expect that you will accept that. i am against the 10 medallions that are being sold directly by the mta. i do not think the mta should be in the business of selling them outright. it is one thing to sell to other drivers. there is a rationale for that and giving an exit strategy but there is a conflict of interest when the mta start selling the medallions and getting revenue and the question becomes, do we need the cabs or do you need revenue? we did discuss a single operator permit, we voted on it. i do not know why jim gillespie said we did not. i do not agree with the mta renting them out as a pilot program. i like the incentive idea that if you take enough radio calls there would be no charge for it. and possibly explore what was suggested about the medallion holders being able to purchase the medallions or obtain them. i think they should be earned. i do not think they should have to be bought by people who spent their career driving a cab and putting up with what all that takes. as far as yellow cab not supporting this, i worked for yellow c