By David Pollack

Orange County and state officials not only need to rid the county of unlicensed taxis and drivers, a problem featured in the Times Herald-Record March 5, but also need a new regulatory body to license all taxi drivers, inspect all taxis and initiate new regulations that guarantee public safety.

Right now, you have no way of knowing if your taxi driver is licensed or if your vehicle is properly insured. For example, did you know that insurance companies can deny accident claims from passengers that are a result of a private car being used as a taxi? A few months ago, I even read of a rape by an Orange County taxi driver. There is no county standard!

I applaud the Monroe police for impounding illegal taxis, but 31 tickets in six months (one a week) is hardly a deterrent. Monroe's new village law including inspections of vehicles and registration of all drivers is absolutely a step in the right direction. However, all residents of Orange County need safe and reliable taxi service whether used by the disabled for a visit to the doctor, a plane trip from Stewart Airport, food shopping or a Saturday night out.

Part of my plan, to be submitted later this month, will require fingerprints and background checks for all taxi license applicants. If the plan is approved, schooling and testing need to be initiated prior to any license being approved. Courses in geography, safety, courtesy and the state vehicle and traffic laws must be part of the curriculum, with testing thereafter of each applicant. Vehicles must be inspected at an Orange County facility multiple times a year to insure the public safety. Of course, the public needs to identify licensed taxis from the outside and licensed drivers must be identified on the inside.

We must also prepare for additional traffic for the thousands of daily visitors Orange County will have when a real casino opens. The governor is moving forward with making the Quickway an interstate and Stewart Airport is being tested as the fourth major airport in the metropolitan area.

Future county transportation logistics for all of us may become a nightmare if nothing is done now. A set of new laws requiring a high standard for all who drive our family members must be created without financially burdening existing business. Income from licensing, etc., will help the county pay for this new idea. Additional county jobs and new businesses will sprout as we grow, but we must be prepared.

As the fastest-growing county in New York state, Orange County must act now to become proactive and not reactive to our future transportation scenarios. We need to license all drivers, inspect all taxis and prepare rules and regulations that will provide for the safety of our growing county.

Our politicians need to draft Orange County taxi legislation and appoint a new regulatory body to ensure that current and future needs of the taxi-riding public result in taxis and drivers being held to a higher standard.

David Pollack, who lives in Washingtonville, is executive director of the Committee for Taxi Safety in New York City, editor in chief of Taxi Insider and a third-generation taxi driver.

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