Cab Drivers and Suicide

Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft have become so popular nowadays, but often people forget about the original ridesharing service, the good ol' yellow cab. While Uber and Lyft are great for people who want a part-time commitment, taxi driving is not. Many taxi drivers, especially in New York, work behind a wheel as their full-time job, and many immigrants, such as Abduel Saleh from Yemen, rely on taxi driving to send money home to family. In a recent article on NBC news, Phil McCausland reports the suicide of Saleh after he struggled financially and was unable to make enough money to pay his lease. However, taxi drivers commiting suicide due to financial strife has not been a rarity; in fact, in the past eight months, Saleh is the "sixth driver to die of suicide". After this and the five previous suicides, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) "plans to have a press conference outside of New York City’s city hall on Monday". Hopefully, this press conference will clear up some of the misunderstandings and bring about change in this fading industry. [1 image, 1 link, 2 quotes, 183 words]