NEW YORK ¨C New York¡¯s plan for a new fleet of cabs from Nissan Motor Co. is legal, an appeals court ruled, overturning an earlier judgment that said the city¡¯s Taxi and Limousine Commission had overstepped its authority by requiring owners to buy a specific vehicle.
The so-called Taxi of Tomorrow program is a ¡°legally appropriate response to the agency¡¯s statutory obligation to produce a 21st century taxicab consistent with the broad interests and perspectives that the agency is charged with protecting,¡± Justice David B. Saxe wrote Tuesday for the appeals court in Manhattan.
Nissan won a contract in 2011 valued at $1 billion over 10 years to supply more than 15,000 minivans with sliding doors, more luggage space and air bags in the back, for the city¡¯s taxi fleet. The commission in September 2012 designated the Nissan NV200 as the official ¡°Taxi of Tomorrow¡± and required owners of medallions, which confer the right to operate yellow cabs in New York, to buy the $29,700 vehicles.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.