No drinking? I'm not sure i've ever been in a cab sober. (and i'm pretty sure a few of the drivers were looped on something too...).
What if a white guy decided that he doesn't want to pick up a Muslim with his religious outfit on and a big beard? Can he justify it by saying that he feels by picking up this man it may be a threat to his well being? Can he say that the guy may be a terrorist and he doesn't want to take the risk? Come on
What about blind people and their dogs? I mean really? Really? Besides, it's the damn Airports choice if they want to deny cabbies access to the airport if they are going to deny rides to passengers.
Did I justify that point? Heck even in the article it states that soemone from the islamic community disagreed on that. I changed my stance when I read that it is THE LAW to have to take anyone...
If it was just because they are muslims, then its wrong. but if a few drivers decided not to take muslims with a beard and wearing the outfit and carrying folders that look suspicious, then hell no its not wrong. thats the cab drivers perogative.
There is an open container law in Minnesota and this refers to people carrying alcohal even if they aren't drinking it. Also the current controversy is regarding picking up people at the airport and not off the street. Airport pickups are regulated. This issue has been raised with street pickups and call ins.
So a white cabbie in a pickup line at the airport where your customer is whoever is in line at that moment can refuse to take a Muslim because he feels he may get threathend? I seriously doubt that. He may be thinking that, but I doubt he would refuse service. I am sure it happens elsewhere like hailing a cab in Manhattan. The cabbie may not pull over. But in a pickup line at the airport, I don't think so. His ass would be in court in a heartbeat.
I've heard anecdotal stories of cabbies not picking up black patrons in NYC. I think Morgan Freeman also once complained on 60 Minutes about still not being able to get a cab in Manhattan.
The problem is those cab drivers can choose their clientele through whatever arbitrary 'standard' they set (and yes, in NYC they do discriminate based on race/income/the way you look or dress a lot of time; just ask black people in NYC and they will tell you). On the other hand, if the city passes an ordinance of sorts that forces cab drivers to pick up people with alcohol or guide dogs then they have to abide by it. I think it's somewhat complicated and there isn't really an easy answer to it as some here seem to indicate. It's their vehicle, they are not forced to take whomever they happen to come across. Personally, I think they're being a-holes and they should be expected to reasonably accommodate others. What if some blind man needs a guide dog to move around? What if someone is drunk enough and makes the responsible choice to take a cab instead of drinking and driving? I don't see a problem with them asking a passenger to not bring a visible alcoholic drink with him inside their cab, that's their prerogative and they have every right to make such a demand (it's their vehicle, after all). Otherwise, they're being unreasonable.
To play devil's advocate here doesn't a proprietorship have the right to refuse service? Obviously there have been laws passed regarding discriminating on race and gender but not picking up a drunk or someone with alchohal that isn't a matter of discriminating on race but discriminating on behavior. For instance if I have a restaurant and a drunk walks in don't I have the right to not serve that person because I feel he will be disruptive or cause other problems?
Yes but if you're doing business on property owned by the city (its streets), you need to go by their rules. a Restaurant is provate property, streets aren't.
I'm no great legal mind, but I think that essentially, taxi drivers are doing a contract service for the municipality. The municipality gives them a license, and the municipality gets to set the rules.
Seems like a simple solution would be to have two lines/pickup areas, one for people with alcohol and one for anyone. If if a greater percentage of customers have alcohol than drivers that are willing to serve them, then the drivers who refuse to service that group would suffer financially as the drivers who are willing to serve that group will get more fares.
Sure. And two terminals so one can serve sausage and one won't. Maybe two planes for each flight so you can take alcohol on one and not on the other. What next - women have to cover their faces to ride in a Somali cab? If you don't want to do the job, do something else. If you want to have a restricted service then start a limo service. When your clients touch down they can call you and you can come pick them up. Don't take some of the limited space at public airports designed for the general public, and take one of a limited number of taxi medallions, and then try to enforce your own views on the general public.
There doesn't seem to be many arguments in favor of the Muslim cap drivers and frankly I'm having a hard time playing devils advocate. I don't think SM's compromise solution of two lines is very realistic but I was thinking of a policy where passengers don't openly display alchohal and the drivers don't ask so therefore the drivers can fulfill their religious duty since they aren't knowingly transfering alchohal. I don't know what they will do about the dogs but it sounds like some of the Imans are addressing guide dogs. As for picking up drunks well the cabbies could argue for their safety since in Minneapolis and other cities there have been cab drivers mugged and murdered by passengers.
