Thousands of livery cab drivers and their supporters attended an organized rally in front of City Hall to protest again a plan proposed by the Bloomberg administration and the Taxi and Limousine Commission this past Monday, June 6th.

Thousands of livery drivers demonstrated in front of City Hall June 6 against a Bloomberg plan that drivers fear would force them out of business unless they were able to buy prohibitively expensive yellow medallions.

In a demonstration similar to one held a week ago, but with a far larger crowd in attendance, livery cab drivers and their supporters staged an organized protest that also brought elected officials, community leaders and industry supporters in a united show of opposition.

Meanwhile, Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. called the Taxi and Limousine Commission "provocative" in increasing summonses to livery cabs during this period.

He asked for everyone to "lower the temperature" as all of the parts come together to draft a compromise bill. 

Díaz shared with the media his compromise "framework" in response to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's request that he try to mediate in the current controversy. Since then, Díaz has been meeting with industry representatives to learn their current perspectives on the issue. 

His "framework" called for the creation of a new outer borough medallion for the livery industry, opposing an administration plan to sell so-called "mega-medallions" in the outer boroughs under which six livery cabs could operate.

The new medallion Díaz is proposing for liveries should be sold at an "affordable price" and will allow livery cars to pick up passengers in the streets outside of Manhattan and the airports. Currently, yellow medallions cost upward of $700,000.

His position has been opposed by the yellow cab industry for fear that a new medallion will devalue yellow medallions' prices.

Díaz also made clear that this new "livery medallion" will allow for street hails but will prohibit drivers to both hail and get passengers through calls from the bases that they are currently associated with. 

Cira Angeles, spokeswoman for Livery Cab Bases Association commended Díaz for supporting the separation of yellow medallions from a new livery medallion model, but added, "Prohibiting livery drivers from accepting both radio calls and street hails ignores the reality of a system that has served the community well." 

Many drivers and base owners have made clear that they can only survive financially if they can get calls and hails.