Taxi!: Cabs and Capitalism in New York City

by Biju Mathew

"Mathew, as a member of the Organizing Committee of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, has a unique perspective on the plight of immigrant taxi drivers.... Mathew explores the history of New York's taxicab industry, which has been in a cycle of corruption and reform since the Depression. The book culminates in an essay on globalization, immigration, racism, and the false veneer of multiculturalism in neoliberal society."―Booklist "Mathew describes the grim economics of driving the ubiquitous yellow cabs―a job where most of the money goes to the cab company owners and where even minor problems, such as a few tickets or a short illness, can spell disaster for drivers."―Financial Times "Jump aboard this fast-paced ride through the ins and outs of the taxi industry in New York City and sit up front with the 40,000 cabbies who are overworked, underpaid, and routinely harassed, but have come together to improve their lot.... Fasten your seatbelt, grip the dashboard, and enjoy the trip."―Morning Star (U.K.) "Drivers' narratives in Taxi! can be riveting, inspiring, and upsetting all at the same time.... Their tales penetrate deep into the exploitive nature of the taxi industry.... In describing precisely how a group of seemingly powerless immigrant workers flexed their muscles, Taxi! critiques the labor movement and the broader movement for social justice."―Left Turn Driving a cab has long attracted recent immigrants and others at the margins of the economy. In recent years, however, the working conditions and the nature of cab ownership have changed. As Biju Mathew reveals in this lively account of the benefits and hardships in the lives of today's taxi drivers, just about everything has changed dramatically except the yellow paint. At once a passionate declaration of worker solidarity and an ethnography of work, Taxi! is a compelling narrative of the lives of immigrant taxi drivers in New York City. This updated edition covers the formation of the International Taxi Workers Alliance, the unusual collaboration with the Central Labor Council, and 2007 taxi strikes protesting New York City's plan requiring taxicabs to install costly global positioning systems and credit-card machines.

Genres: Nonfiction, Labor

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[suman · Rating 4 out of 5]

i first read this book for a paper i was writing on a sector of the new york city economy. what a ride! (sorry about the bad joke.)

i know biju slightly, and know his and bhairavi desai's work to organize new york's incredibly diverse fleet of cabdrivers even more intimately. this book roots an informed examination of this little-known yet highly visible sector of the city's economy in the struggle for economic justice for new york's south asians and immigrant workers after 9/11.

an incredible, human, funny, and personal account of workers who have largely been forgotten except for a few courageous soldiers for social justice.

[Jay Semeniuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

its been a while since ive read something as dense as this, but it wasnt as difficult as i had expected. i was gifted this book, hence the reason im reading it, because im obsessed with the movie taxi driver.

its nothing like the movie😭

but it is very very interesting!! considering it was written in 2005, im curious how things have changed and evolved now, especially bc of the rise of uber and other apps.
definitely an interesting read!

[Reverenddave · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first hundred fifty pages of this book were pretty good, discussing the taxi system in nyc and the problems with it. The socialist bias of the author was never disguised but it didnt take away from the interesting information the book contained. However the latter half or so of the book more or less dropped any taxi discussion for a screed against globalization and capitalism. At this point the biases of the author were much harder to ignore and both the material and the writing suffered dramatically. I mean it really fell off a cliff in the last 80 pages.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A labor alliance of taxi drivers in NYC succeeds in many ways, from winning economic concessions for its members to building a true alliance of a labor force made up mostly of immigrant men from struggling against entrenched capital interests. A positive and hopeful story in a time when they're hard to come by.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

it would be better to ride around in a cab and ask the driver questions, because you'd probably get less of a rant.

[Hena · Rating 4 out of 5]

great insight into nyc, immigration, racism, classism, and how we all get played

[Kstn]

just did some volunteering for his group, Taxi Workers' Alliance. sounds interesting

[Jonathan]

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