NYC Cabbie Strike a Non-Issue

The long-feared NYC cabbie strike took effect today, reports the NY Times and the impact felt by passengers...well, hasn't really been that great. Despite rather extremist reports on some sites (i.e. Engadget) that estimate strike volume at 90% of cabs, the NY Times reports that major cab companies have only seen a loss of about 25% of cars on the road.

Chalk this up as yet another victory for the free market in the storied tale of diminishing union power in America. NYC cab drivers are notoriously capitalistic, a fact that Bloomberg's contingency plan brilliantly leveraged, offering economic incentives for cabbies sitting out the strike that could pay for the GPS installations that caused the strike in the first place!

As a consumer, I applaud the GPS requirement, as it will reduce tax evasion by cab drivers, improve routing and fleet management (making individual cabs more profitable), assist in the "greening" of NYC and provide new revenue streams through advertising. Oh, and being able to pay via credit card is clutch, as in my past life I often paid the "black car" premium over yellow cabs for this luxury alone.