Ever tried to get a cab to take you from Manhattan to the Outer Boroughs? Many residents of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island despair of finding a driver willing to take them across the river. This year School of Public Affairs students got a chance to address that problem directly after New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Chairman David Yassky reached out to Public Affairs Dean David Birdsell to enlist Baruch students to travel to the Outer Boroughs by taxi and report policy violations back to the TLC. After all, drivers are required by TLC rules—with few exceptions—to drive a passenger to any destination in the five boroughs.
Students found an overall turndown rate of 50 percent—somewhat higher after hours and lower during peak times. Their street-hail fieldwork was part of a graduate-level class, Topics in Public Administration, taught by Public Affairs Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Programs Jonathan Engel. “This is precisely the kind of experience that students seek out Baruch to obtain,” he explained. “It focuses on a real-world compliance problem that speaks to anyone who cares about the successful implementation of regulation in the public sector.”
IN THE NEWS Baruch’s involvement in this sting operation was covered extensively in the news. For one of the best articles, click here—Diane Harrigan