Tonight, Mr. Jorge will be reluctantly joining fellow drivers at a meeting to learn about the commission's new rule requiring a partition or security camera in every livery cab.
In the face of what it described as "right against right," the commission recommended that the region be partitioned.
His commission set out the initial boundaries of partition.
At the same time, the taxi commission required all cab owners to install partitions or security cameras, and the city provided $5 million to finance this project.
Allan J. Fromberg, spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission, said the statistics were compelling enough that the commission was urging drivers to opt for partitions over the cameras.
The commission voted in 1994 to require bullet-resistant partitions in yellow cabs after a series of crimes against their drivers, but did not include livery cabs.
He participated in the Partition Sejm of 1773, where he sat on several commissions.
But the commission hasn't bothered yet to analyze another consequence of the partitions: injured passengers.
Since the commission passed the rules, about 7,700 livery cabs have been equipped with partitions and an additional 1,200 have been outfitted with surveillance cameras, which are placed next to the rearview mirror and continuously photograph passengers.
The commission recommended "electrification" of such a ring-fence, meaning there needed to be periodic reviews that the partition remained in place and realistic threats to keep banks from trying to bend the rules.
"Since we required the partitions in 1994, crime against medallion taxi drivers has dropped drastically," said Allan J. Fromberg, the commission's spokesman.
