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The SHORT LINE
The world’s most famous cab: Medallion #666 became internationally known after Taxi Commission staff recommended retiring it ownig to misfortunes that have befallen the cab and its current medallion holder, Michael Byrne of DeSoto Cab. On Good Friday of 1999, cab #666 was destroyed in a fire. Last year, a permit applicant refused to accept the medallion, at which point it was issued to Byrne. According to commission Deputy Director Jordanna Thigpen, Byrne has suffered some unnamed setbacks since he received the medallion.
At a July 24 commission hearing on the subject, most speakers opposed retiring the medallion, pointing out that many other numbers are also considered unlucky.
UTW Chair Thomas George-Williams, made the point humorously, wearing a set of red devil’s horns and telling the commission, “Don’t touch my number.” The commission took his advice, refusing to retrie the number, but it gave Byrne the option of exchanging the medallion for another number.
The story made news all over the country and around the world. Pictures of the behorned Thomas appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times. Other publications that carried the story included the Sydney Morning Herald, Taiwan News, Russian Pravda and Nabair News Beirut, and many more. All in all, it was a field day for the devil.
A weird coincidence: on July 27, the S.F. Chronicle’s “Bad Reporter” cartoon, drawn by Don Asmussen, had a mock headline from the Chronicle saying that Cab #69 is “also cursed,” along with a picture of “Satan’s cab.” As it turns out, the devilish Thomas used to have a long-term lease on cab #69.

New York drivers plan strike: The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is calling a citywide taxi strike in September to protest the imposition of GPS tracking technology at the driver’s expense in metered yellow cabs. Drivers say they would have to log in and be tracked even when using the cab during off-duty hours.
Drivers also complain that the new system’s credit card technology hasn’t worked in Philadelphia and would be worse in Manhattan on account of its many skyscrapers.
They also object to the installation of back-seat TV monitors carrying ads and information as part of the new system. New York’s Central Labor Council is supporting the strike call.