Dominic Carter met with Taxi drivers about why they are committing suicide.
I was immediately thrown off guard as the first driver arrived. In a male dominated industry, my expectations were for a male driver to approach me, but up walked a woman named Nina Godashi. Standing about “ 5.4” she was wearing a black leather jacket to match her black sneakers. The married, mother of two boys, lives in Staten Island, New York. Nina had her hair back in a ponytail, and holding her tanish brown big bag, she looked like she could be a fashion model.
On this brisk fall day with City Hall on one side of us, and the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge on the other, I asked: Why are taxi drivers committing suicide? Mrs. Godashi has no problem stating her point of view. You see, she could relate to her colleagues.
“Because they can not make a living anymore. They not making enough money to make a living…. Problems the City created which allowed Uber to serve the people of the city without paying for medallions. That’s why people doing suicide. They can’t pay the bills, they can not pay mortgage, they can not pay the college for the kids…. It’s really very, very, very bad. I can say it’s like when Superstorm Sandy came to New York in 2012, it’s the same for us for the yellow cab drivers.”
Taxi Drivers with Reporter Dominic Carter