End Cabbie Debt: Bringing the Story of NYC’s Taxi Drivers to the Screen
Words by Shivani Parikh
My friend Sara Chishti is fundraising for @taxidriverdoc, a documentary capturing NYC taxi drivers as they fight back against the taxi medallion crisis. This predatory lending scheme has led to the deaths of nine NYC cabbies, including one on Eid. Please support and bring these stories to life by donating to the Kickstarter.
End Cabbie Debt: Bringing the Story of NYC’s Taxi Drivers to the Screen
NYC taxis once symbolized the "American Dream," offering immigrants a pathway to build their livelihoods and achieve economic stability. However, the city's inflation of taxi medallions (the permits required to own and operate taxis) and the rise of ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft led to a severe financial crisis among drivers, particularly in immigrant communities. Medallions, once seen as secure investments for the future, were artificially inflated by city officials, pushing many drivers into crushing debt through predatory lending practices.
By 2021, the situation had become untenable. In October, drivers, led by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), began a hunger strike outside City Hall, which lasted more than two weeks. They demanded a debt relief plan that included city-backed loan guarantees and significant debt forgiveness, as earlier relief programs failed to address the needs of the most financially distressed drivers. The drivers rejected a 2020 program that offered limited financial assistance, calling it inadequate. They insisted the city guarantee that no driver would owe more than $200,000 in medallion debt — a far cry from the much higher amounts drivers owed. Their core demand was for the city to backstop loans so that if drivers defaulted, the city would pay the remaining debt, giving lenders the confidence to restructure loans with lower interest rates and more manageable terms.
After weeks of protests, Mayor Bill de Blasio and city officials reached an agreement with the NYTWA. The city pledged $65 million for debt relief, committed to guarantee restructured loans. Drivers’ medallion debts could be capped at $170,000, and they could refinance at lower interest rates, providing much-needed relief. While this agreement was hailed as a victory, it left hundreds of drivers out of the relief program, trapping them in a cycle of debt with little recourse. The financial and emotional toll on drivers has been severe, with nine suicides since the crisis began.
The political failure is twofold: first, the city’s role in artificially inflating medallion values for profit while harming vulnerable drivers, and second, its failure to regulate the influx of Uber and Lyft, which decimated the taxi industry without offering protections or alternatives for drivers. The city’s delayed and selective response left many drivers without sufficient support, exacerbating their financial and emotional crises.
My friend @sara.chishti is fundraising for a film entitled @taxidriverdoc on Kickstarter. TAXI DRIVER is a window into the lives of taxi drivers struggling to survive within a city that preyed upon their hope to attain the American Dream. The yellow cab exists as an eternal symbol of New York; this film explores an ensemble cast of taxi drivers as they wrestle with feeling discarded by the city and foregrounds their ongoing struggle to maintain their humanity. Grappling with bankruptcy, foreclosure, and even suicide, this short verité documentary interrogates the lingering effects of a predatory lending scheme: namely, who benefitted, who was excluded, and who has been forgotten. Meet one of the drivers featured in the film, Kuber Sancho-Persad, who is battling against $599,000 in debt. He shares his heartbreaking story:
"..My dad, Choonilal Sancho-Persad, was a NYC taxi driver like me. In 2017, he passed away. He died with hopelessness. He had hope once, but the city’s neglect was too much. Trapped in a cycle of predatory lending, they told him, 'Borrow more; the medallion value will only rise.' But that promise became a nightmare. A month before dying, the bank sued him. This is what the city did - it robbed us of our right to make a dignified living.
I’m facing the same struggle. I’m only 29 and not in the best place. Currently, I'm living in a homeless shelter.
My dad was my best friend. We'd often drive side-by-side during the same shift. He was a kid at heart, adding little gadgets to make his taxi unique. It was his way of finding joy. However, that only led to trouble from the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which would pull him over to fine him often. Things got worse with Uber. No one made money; if they were, it meant sleeping in cars overnight. I’ve done it, sleeping at JFK and waking up at 6 am to drive.
We were told the medallion was a shield. Now, it's what it was supposed to protect us from - a symbol of exploitation. I’m struggling to hold on to my dad's medallion, which is one of the last things I have of him. I’m fighting to honor my dad’s legacy, but every day, it's just difficult to survive."
Kuber Sancho-Persad's story highlights the devastating impact of a system that once promised stability but now embodies exploitation and despair. His struggle to honour his father's legacy while grappling with insurmountable debt and homelessness underscores the broader failure of a political and economic system that has neglected its most vulnerable. While a step toward relief, the hunger strike and subsequent agreement reveal the depth of the crisis and the ongoing gaps in support for many drivers. The city’s efforts to address this issue must go beyond temporary fixes and encompass comprehensive, long-term solutions to ensure that the dreams of hardworking individuals like Kuber and his father are not sacrificed to a flawed system. To fully understand and address the legacy of the medallion crisis, we must continue to advocate for systemic change and support those left behind.
Please support and bring these stories to life by donating to the Kickstarter.
Credits:
Shivani Parikh is the founder and executive director of the South Asian Legal Defense Fund, the nonprofit impact partner of the TAXI DRIVER documentary. She lives in Jackson Heights, Queens - New York City’s Little India.