The stakes are about to get a lot higher in the bitter war between Mayor Bloomberg and the yellow-cab industry.
Sources said industry leaders hope to convince members of the mayor’s own Taxi and Limousine Commission to vote against his plan for raising fares while excluding fleet owners from getting a share.
If successful, that would amount to an unprecedented end run around the administration by an industry it tightly regulates.
“Remember, five of the [nine] TLC members are appointed by the [City] Council, not the mayor,” said one industry source.
Bloomberg has stated unequivocally that an upcoming 15-to-20-percent fare hike should go to the cabdrivers, not to the medallion owners.
The TLC sets maximum lease rates for yellow taxis, which are now $105 to $132 a shift and haven’t changed in years.
“Who else runs a business that’s had one increase in 16 years?” griped the industry source.
An administration insider fired back that the owners seem to be doing just fine, as medallion prices have reached the astonishing $1 million level and are outperforming most other investments.
“They didn’t make much of a case [for getting a cut of the increase], other than they haven’t gotten a raise for a long time,” said the insider. “But they keep buying more medallions.”
The fleet executives claim they’re getting the shaft for one reason — they opposed Bloomberg’s plan to create a new class of 18,000 metered cabs for the outer boroughs that they viewed as unfair competitors.
Three lawsuits filed by the industry blocking the borough cabs have infuriated the mayor, according to one source.
“He’s off the wall about this,” said the source.
On Friday, Bloomberg gave voice to that frustration.
“I don’t know of any other place in the world where you give a license to somebody, it becomes theirs, they get it for $1 or something, it’s worth a million bucks, and now they’re complaining about it,” he griped on his weekly radio show.