driven to despair

A week before Abdul Saleh, a 30-year veteran yellow cab driver, became this year’s sixth cabby suicide victim, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church’s minister, the Rev. Beverly Bartlett, said she always tries to take yellow cabs. She said she is sympathetic to the taxi drivers’ increasingly desperate conditions since the Uber and Lyft rideshare invasion left them battling for an ever-decreasing share of fares. And shouldn’t we all, unless it’s an emergency? And remember, the big yellows take wheelchairs.

Above all we need to recognize these tragic stories of desperation and discuss. And we also need to act in other ways — by, say, contacting our elected officials, and asking them to seek a remedy.

Too little considered are cabbies’ grueling hours and ever more stressful traffic conditions. There are about 13,000 yellow cabs on the road, a fraction of the roughly 100,000 for-hire vehicles cruising city roads. And it’s mostly about convenience — being able to dial a ride. How ironic convenience can do harm.

Saleh, 59, had been unable to meet his lease payments. He was single with a family in Yemen with apparently no one to really share his despair. He hung himself on Friday, June 14 in his Brooklyn apartment, on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

And remember we must the other suicide victims — in May, Kenny Chow, 56, who despite having a caring family, was increasingly desperate. He left his cab near Gracie Mansion. His body was found in the East River 11 days later.

In March, Nicanor Ochisor, 65, hanged himself in his garage in Maspeth, Queens. In February, livery driver Doug Schifter shot himself to death outside City Hall. “I don’t know how else to make a difference,” a Facebook farewell read, “other than a public display of a very private affair.”

But these are most public affairs which must get out and stay out there. The more media coverage the better. And wouldn’t it be good to resurrect the Taxi Dave weekly radio program. This most informative taxi and traffic-related WOR hour program folded for lack of sponsors, even though many elected officials had been grateful guests. Above all, the program offered useful information and support for cab drivers.

And this traffic safety activist columnist suggests that yellow and green cab drivers might do a bit more to attract riders — become known for safe driving, never speeding, always yielding to pedestrians when turning into a crosswalk. And this white-knuckle rider urges drivers to never start up until the passenger seatbelt is in place. And smile a whole lot. Smiles actually soothe the brain.

Ah, there is so much we all must do to stop this epidemic of cabby despair and change the rules and regulations and whatever else is to blame. Above all, cabbies must know we care and they must share their despair — share their despair. It can be done if enough of us try.

dewingbetter@aol.com