William Maley
Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com
October 9, 2013
The New York State Supreme Court may have put a stop to the unified fleet of the Nissan NV200 'Taxi of Tomorrow'. Last night, Justice Shlomo S. Hagler ruled that the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission had no authority of giving Nissan a ten-year contract that makes the NV200 the exclusive taxicab of the city.
"Simply stated, the power to contract and compel medallion owners to purchase the Nissan NV200 from Nissan for ten years does not exist in the City Charter," wrote Justice Hagler.
"We believe the Court's decision is fundamentally wrong, and we intend to appeal immediately. It was well within the TLC's authority to authorize the Taxi of Tomorrow," said New York City's corporation counsel Michael A. Cardozo.
But even if the city wins its appeal, it might be a short-lived victory. The top-two candidates for New York City mayor have opposed the 'Taxi of Tomorrow' plan and might not continue the fight.
“We are disappointed in the court’s decision, but it will not prevent our plan to start upgrading the NYC taxi fleet with the Nissan Taxi of Tomorrow at the end of the month,” said Nissan spokesman Travis Parman to Motor Trend.
Asked about the contract, Parman said, "We are evaluating options for next steps regarding the exclusivity contract.”
Source: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Motor Trend
William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.
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