They’re still driving sex machines.
A year-old compromise between cabbies and the city Taxi & Limousine Commission that lets some hacks opt out of rooftop strip-club ads hasn’t put much of a dent into the smutty imagery.
Only one cabdriver out of 2,000 has chosen to opt out.
“In the last year, we’ve had . . . one case,” said David Pollack, executive director of the Committee for Taxi Safety, which represents 2,000 drivers who own cabs. “It’s a non-issue.”
The rule, which went into effect last October, allows cabbies who own their cab but not their medallion to refuse racy advertising. Its approval came on the heels of cabbies calling for a ban of the ads altogether.
Before the rule, only those cabbies who owned their car and medallion had the power to choose not to carry the ads.
The rule doesn’t apply to drivers who don’t own their cabs. And for many of them, that’s a huge part of the problem.
“I have kids in the house,” said Mohammed Hassan, a fleet driver who lives in The Bronx with his sister and her three children. “It’s really not appropriate. I don’t park this car in front of the house.”
Hassan, who doesn’t own his cab or the medallion, contends that the best thing to do would be to strengthen last year’s TLC rule.
“We have no options,” he said. “Either they should give us the option to choose the ads or not, or ban all these adult ads.”
One choice hacks can exercise is applying to work for another fleet operator, according to Michael Woloz, a spokesman from he Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade.
“They do have a say — they can go to another garage,” said Woloz. “There is nothing requiring a driver to lease from one particular place.”
Yassar El Sayed got his medallion in 2002 and opts not to place an ad on his roof, although he could make an extra $1,200 a year if he did.
“I don’t feel comfortable with Scores having ads on my car, or strip clubs, or alcohol,” he said. “I don’t need to drive with sin on top of my car.”