David Pollack, radio show host and advocate for cabdrivers, at the WOR-AM studios in TriBeCa.
“Taxi Dave” is a veteran NYC cab driver (as well as his father and grandfather) who hosts a unique taxi-themed talk radio show on Sunday nights at 8pm. While he is formally known as David Pollack to some, his fans know him as the popular radio show host who brings a unique New York perspective that isn’t readily found anywhere else on the radio.
Taxi Dave, 60, has spent his career driving yellow cabs and then working in other related areas of the industry, which includes the “Taxi Dave Show.” The show has been on the air for several years and it has become quite popular with the New York City cabbies and countless other listeners.
Whether you bike, drive, take the subway, or use the bus, Taxi Dave will discuss issues affecting all of us including what is really on everyone’s mind.
While many might not believe his story, he was truly born in a cab as his father was rushing his mother to the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. His life, as you might say it, was literally in a cab from day one.
His family has a strong three generational line of taxicab drivers from his grandfather to his father and also includes some cousins and an uncle.
Pollack attended Stuyvesant High School and also attended a couple of years at Lehman College, but eventually dropped out after he began to drive a cab full time. The 1970’s were a favorite decade of his and he remembers Rick James smoking a joint in his cab and even Mick Jagger asking him to turn up a Grateful Dead song while he rode in his cab.
He says that driving a cab in NYC gave him insight into habits of real people and it became a large influence in his life. The most unique memories are forever embedded in his mind thanks to driving in New York City.
The Taxi Dave show has welcomed in guests to talk about their experiences and their stories as a taxicab driver. His guests have also included governors and mayors and local politicians.
He once had Tom O’Connor, 85, in the studio, who is a retired driver who drove over 50 years in Manhattan and never received a traffic ticket. Quite an amazing feat.
His other antics on the show vary from complaining about the price of an oil change to providing industry updates (i.e. any vehicle recalls) to providing tips and reminders to fellow drivers, all in a fun (and real) way.
Taxi Dave states that his real claim to fame is when he did “Trading Places” with Matt Lauer on the TODAY show. Matt drove a taxi and he hosted the show with Katie Couric.
Pollack also publishes and edits The Taxi Insider, a monthly trade paper. In addition to this, he also works for the Melrose Credit Union and runs the Taxi Action Center there where he has an opportunity to do what he loves most – help people.
Taxi Dave has two daughters and says that the show has kept him going after he lost his wife to cancer a couple years ago.
His show is on every Sunday night and often ends in the same way – with a call from his Mom telling him what a great job he did.
THE PARTICULARS
Name David Pollack
Age 60
Where He’s From The Bronx
What He Does Radio host of “The Taxi Dave Show”
Telling Detail “I bleed taxi yellow and Yankee blue,” he said.
By Samantha
YellowCabNYCTaxi.com Staff Writer
Hi Dave,
Hi David,
I need to book a taxi driver in the Tribeca area for a quick scene involving a cast member on a cable Reality show. Can you provide a yellow cab company referral?
Oh Boy, at long last a write-up (excellent) on Taxi Dave
Pollack.
Thank you yellow site.
Taxi Dave is a NYC taxi icon.
Like the TLC he is of little use to this destroyed and deregulated industry.
Taxi Dave had Joshi on awhile back and he kowtowed her. He never asked the tough questions. He was afraid and in awe so he licked her boots. Listening to Dave is a waste of time unless you want to know where the pot holes are and listen to morons call in and talk about bike lanes. You had Joshi on and you had your chance and you let us down. It’s over for yellows.
Taxi Dave has decades of experience in this industry. And if you know him – he is genuinely a cool decent guy. I listened to him interviewing Joshi and while he kept it polite – he did raise important points with her. Joshi knows that Uber is a big mess – as does everyone else.
Im sure Dave is cool and he sounds like a smart nice guy. Maybe Melrose told him to go easy on her, I don’t know why he went easy or what good it would have been if he went after her. She just takes orders anyway. No one in my family was born in a taxi but my grandfathers brother died in a cab on West End Ave. Heart attack. The medallion big shots should have fought every regulation like Kalanick but they thought they were invincible. They didn’t care about the drivers paying 50c, black box, the list is endless. Uber doesn’t even need a credential holder. Tapes them on the air bag or stick em in the vent. Joke. Ours can’t even have a bulb out. Tell Dave we know about pot holes and left turns, bike lanes. Maybe he can have a real show with some substance one of these days.
it’s all about the incumbent and keeping the incumbent
incumbent.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Capitalism without a Conscience
Nobody really wants justice
U call that a foremost leading country?
I the regulator and I decide who and who not
to regulate.I like over-regulating yellows because they
react with such angst.
Don’t tell me who to regulate, I’m the regulator.
so soon already.Who’d believe anything a guy named McInturff
had to say.Crack-pot McInturff claims he took a poll over the 14th &
15 (Feb) and found Cruz had zoomed ahead of Trump.
It is laughable. Obviously all the responders were single, unlovable dudes and dudettes waiting to answer just any phone call on Valentine’s Day.
The lovable dudes and dudettes were all too BUSY TO ANSWER THE PHONE ON VALENTINE’S DAY, and too tired to answer the phone the NEXT DAY.
Can’t imagine anyone with the name McInturff who didn’t change it by the time he was 10 yo. ho ho ho
No one believes him.
Runner up – Scott Stringer, NYC Controller, when asked about the 32% raise the City Council voted themselves, said ” in a democracy, you get what you pay for.” You can’t make this stuff up!
Why this site is taken by ghosts.couldn’t send in comments
Those made money out of the medallions and drivers really never cared for raxi industry.as soon as uber came in ,we have not seen anyone from fleet to mini fleet owners file a lawsuit against city or the tlc.the reason is that they loved yellow cab money not its drivers or its passengers.they have used all the money to buy real estate in ny or elsewhere even in foreign countries.now they got no money with them ,I used to see garages gethering lot of of cash like big garbage can of cash every day and they would never accept credit cards or debits from drivers.I wonder where all that cash for the last 80 years of services.is time to do investigation on fleets and find out where they invested the money .and why not been able to compete with ehail apps.if they said oh we didn’t make money!!then leave uber alone and others to make money and get lost.
She always was Family. She was even against EZ Pass. When Bloomberg made her in charge of the 6c fund she was so thrilled with the attention she sold out. She doesn’t understand this business. Taxi Dave does but he can’t do anything. Uber wins every court case fights every regulation. Fleet owners have never fought back. Now they pay for it. We are being regulated out of business. First the small fleets, owner driver then the big fleets. No one will ever lend to a driver wanting to buy a medallion even if there’s a buyer stupid enough to want one.
That’s good news.
How much are they selling for ? I saw one on another site, they were asking 400k
AOL news: Kalamazoo family rides with Uber
driver just killed 6 people.
Earning less not more is worrying because nothing equally guaranteed for cabbies driving a yellow cab and getting livable wages. Cabdrivers should have same wages guaranteed like the NYC bus drivers.
Uber drivers must get tested for cow disease.they thought driving is just turn the wheel and put money into the bank.driving jobs is for people with stone heads .new york so lucky and must be proud of its yellow cabies .god bless them all hard working people and you wouldn’t hear that much trouble from canbies .
10 yrs of fleecing,feeing,kickbacking student
scholarsyhip&stipends didn’t train them.
Now I find out the students knew they were being fleeced, fee’d and stolen from all along. These are the 27yo student now behind Sanders who hate Goldman-Sachs. Turns out 10 years of training for 17 yo college freshman, didn’t work. They knew it all along.
What’s wrong with 1/10 of 1% of the richest Americans holding more cash than 90% of the rest? Bankasaurus rex. That’s me.
Now who can i go after? Who’s left?
Thumper,Cruz thumped guns,Jews,guess he thinks
Vegas us Jews running guns.
No kidding.
His speech went on 1 hr 45 min and not a word about Bible thumping. (Not like SC). The only mention of religion was at the very very end, the last (hook?) that his father,after running a small business in Texas for years, is now a roving gospel
pastor. The end.
Even more laughable, no kidding, Cruz said that on day 1 of his presidence he was going to move the capital of Israel back to Jerusalem. Unbelievable.
Just before his grand finale, guess he couldn’t think of anything else, he said the federal government owns 85% of the land in Nevada and WHEN HE (CRUZ) IS PRESIDENT
HE IS GOING to give it to the state of Nevada.
He listed a whole bunch of items he was going to do day 1.
All the time he was speaking, everyone was wondering where’d he get that nose? Certainly not in Cuba.
Thump, Rubio called himself 2nd Ronald Reagan,well
both have black hair
No kidding, Rubio (24%) edged out Cruz. Basically Rubio thumped
himself as a wet-behind the ears yet brillilant newbie
comparing himself to Ronald Reagan who went after the
“Evil Empire.”
Of course Rubio thumped the constitution the whole time.
No wonder Trump is running away with the GOP, people like hearing what
someone really thinks, the real person. Tired of all the thumping. They like hearing Trump call Cruz a “weak little baby,” whether true or not.
Didn’t one candidate tell taxi drivers he was going to raise meter fares, then
tell the public he was going to lower taxi fares?
Lguardia hotline taxi update manager must be fired.you can’t get live updates .stupidity underway.if call now they give you yesterday updates
Republicans made a biggest deal ever with Trump,if you carefully paid attention when Trump attacks other condidates ,they just responded by providing political reasons and the most importantly no one has attacked trump during the debates .if somebody is attacking you, you must attack him too that didn’t happen at the Gop debates.Which means americans misled by the party and Party made a deal already,Republicans are smarter ,they want to make trump as a full trusted package by all means . .Demorats cant even speak english they all look at their watches ‘why am I here,got to go’
Hey, don’t cut me out by taking zero interest loan
on your private medal sale.
If individual medallion owners who need to get out for health, age, or other
reasons, with little or no existing mortgage, take a zero interest loan on their
sale, then I’m being CUT OUT. I can’t broker in with a sweetie-pie loan to my best
friends and relatives. DON’T CUT ME OUT.
How can Bernie Sanders get on the 2016 ballot?
Write-in vote possible?
I really don’t know how that works, but it looks like the big DEM hot shots getting behind Clinton don’t want any Wall St speculation tax. Could it be all those senators & representatives spend their off-time writing puts & calls? A tax would OUT them all. Course the big guys have to turn their accounts over to experts and not allowed to make any decisions.
Could Sanders somehow get on the ballot? Why he has to caucus with the democrats? Even Independents seem to caucus with the DEMS.
For president I could live with: Michele Obama (Harvard Law Grad),
Barbara Bush (a real brain), Bernie Sanders.
I could live with either Clinton if they would tax Wall Street, and put in the Sanders program.
My son took a yellow to laguardia and the driver took my son to the main holding lot. He was furious wanted to beat the sh-t out of him (he’s an amateur boxer) but just cursed him out. He paid and even gave a tip. My first day I’m sorry the driver said. He asked me to drive him to LGA yesterday. I did.
coming back.H.Ross Perot, 3rd party.Forced
to quit campaign.
It’s coming back. Ying and yang forced him out of the presidential race.
Ying and Yang are GOP and DEMS or vice versa, they all the same.
I think Bernie Sanders should switch to a write-in campaign. I suppose because Sanders is a DEM senator from Vermont he wants to retain that position if he loses.
Could he switch to an Independent party now?
It’s obvious ying and yang are going to put him out of the race, they protecting Wall St at all costs. No tax on Wall St transactions.
It seems every race is BOGUS. I can’t even remember Romney’s VP running mate.
Why doesn’t Taxi Dave run for Mayor, using a write-in campaign?
Uber, Lyft banned from Newark Airport
htttttp://nypost.com/2016/02/23/uber-lyft-banned-from-newark-airport/
Why my nose keeps getting longer and longer every day?
Yuk yuk yuk
What Putin going to say when I call him a “weak little
baby?” ho ho ho ho ho ho
media says Bernie Sanders only candidate paying workers
a wage. Did I hear $10 an hour? Can’t remember how much, but they
get paid and don’t work for free for Bernie Sanders.
Every elec yr rich concoct theory why poor should
vote for rich!
Thanks to Bernie Sanders, looks like the poor & middle class are not going to fall for it.
In the interim elec they used “abolishing the Obamacare,” as the reason to grab control of the house & senate. Soon as elected, they announced “yeah, as soon as we have something in place to replace it.” Check mate. We’ll see what happens.
more hysterical, AOL news says rumors around U.S.
Ted Cruz suspected murderer!
Couldn’t boot it up, likely because there was so much rush traffic to read this
hysterical news release.
Do you believe Robio and Sander could become president of the united state with their accents.Robio has nosy accent and sanders has pirates accents .the only condidate that speaks good English is Tedcrus but he looks like canadian or dominican .so Trump will win because of his money .americans are connected to money more than politics.
Joshi causes multibillion dollar losses to the City of New York. Why isn’t she fired yet.
2016 GOP reason poor should vote in Rich is because
Trump is SO rich.
All you working poor and middle class, why you vote the rich in? Because he is so rich he knows how to manage money. YOUR MONEY.
It is fascinating to watch. So many liars.
Meanwhile Michele & Barak are jamming with Ray Charles at Smithsonian.
Trump wants to rebuild america and make it great again.it’s great and nothing wrong with it ,anytime he says Iam rich ,I make deals, built a great company,I worked with everybody, I negociate with china ,I beat them and I win….The american poverty caused by storming migrants for the last 50 years for better life have strucked the wall on darkness.now their kids own nothing even faith has been flown over somewhere.all doors closed for education,jobs and freedoom and everything has been translated into money .the government has forgotten its citizens totally misled millions by lies.you can’t charge high tax on poor neighborhoods,you can’t associate rentals buildings and homes with rich developed neighborhood.these Rich developers are the ones who over run poor in america.now in jerset city and new york city all over ,developers have made it impossible for midle class a poor to live where they were born.He wants to build america using federal aid money and starving people will get nothing from food stamp and health care .but I believe he has to build Irak and afghanistan first ,because it’s the usa money that used to destroy these countries .if you want to get more poorer just vote in RichMan.Christy endorsed trump because his plan is to build new york New Jersey new Tunnel and that is the reason.these Rich people they turn poor neighborhoods into drugs and crimes and they come after it buying all real estate there then they develop the neighborhood and bring police force in place.look at williamsberg and brooklyn now .look at lower eastside ,look at harlem.this is how they took over America.the problem of minorities is that they eat fried chikens and they sleep .but the Rich eats and digs .
more terrorism by U.S. police depts than all
terrorist acts cince 2011.
Add it up: estimates now that 20,000 prison inmates are innocent
how many shot out of hand by police, over the years before everyone has iphone camera?
If we say 10 a year that we know of for the last few years, add 30 we don’t know of, add it up. 40 a year for the last few years, and probably more than 100 a year
since 9/11. Say 14 years times 100, 1400.
20,000, 120, 1400 at minimum – U.S. police terrorism victims
a minimum of 21,620. Of course, we are not adding in all the families and friends
emotionally wounded by this terrorism.
What are the figures for 9/11? Those by direct hit, those rescuers, the lasting debilitating effects.
Why not go after our own well-paid terrorist police first?
Poor& middle class vote for me cuz I THE RICHEST&
don’t mix w/regular rich!
How many working poor and middle class still going to fall for that theory?
Why don’t you misled voters pool yo cash and buy the Brooklyn Bridge, someone wants
to sell it to you.
anon u got that right.Bloom raised prop taxes so
poor & elderly had to move.
Who zoomed in and bought those properties? The rich developers?
cruz conspiracy theory: he’s the still
loose Zocdiac killer!Photos match!
Scalia passed away while guest at John Poindexter’s
Texas ranch.
Seems I remember US Naval Admiral Poindexter who testified brilliantly at the Contra hearings, along w Ollie North. It was obvious Poindexter was probably the most brilliant man in the Universe at that time. He was getting along in age, then.
Not sure what it means, but are USSC justices allowed to accept gifts from important sectors of American society which may figure into certain cases heard by USSC?
Not sure.
Removing owner must drive rule meaningless. Almost impossible to find someone to take it for $1,900. If you are picked for wca forget it. Joke.
Meera Joshi playing in sand like a little baby pretending all is ‘shiny and cool’ while Uber is raping the City and rest of us.
More and more on the shelf everyday. As owners have to replace cars with wca and tot the shelf won’t have any more room. The yellows will be a rare sight. Sometimes you don’t realize what you have till it’s gone. Then uber will surge away.
Being picked for WCA is like being cremated BEFORE
actual death.
Rubio missed63% senate votes: manana, manana, manana is
good enough 4 U.
Now to emulate Trump he is screaming his head off with wild insults. Would GOP
ever give Rubio the nomination? I think not.
if U can keep yr head when all about u R losing theirs,
Joshi opposite.
If she can lose her mind, when all about her are keeping theirs, what does
this mean? The Empress has no clothes?
It’s Sunday evening and the Taxi Dave’ Show on! Hear it on WOR-710 NOW!
Yellow cabs are an important piece of NY. Sometimes you don’t miss what you have till it’s gone.
hello cabbies can we buy anything today or even pay out rent .its over we are sinking really hard .last sunday made 15$ for me .why we are here?no idea
gripe site says someone turning vote Bernie signs from 3/1 to
3/7. Wonder who?
Those Bernie workers better canvas the states caucusing tomorrow 3/1, and change
those vote Bernie signs back to what they supposed to be.
Wonder who did it? Those Goldman-Saks bankers?
made more money w/my Uber Caddy at Miami Int’l
& Dulles. So busy missed votes!
All that extra money! yuk yuk so that’s where he was
Foreclosures on the way hot and heavy. Banks are trying to work with owners but owners are walking away. When the medallion was valuable tax stamps,renewal fees,50c,30c,etc was worth it. But with tot, wca,black box? who needs to spend that much money on a worthless tin? Over regulation, $10,000 fines,it’s over fellas.
What’s the $10k fine for?
10k was for owner drivers who didn’t drive the required shifts. As you know the owner must drive rule is no more. Too little too late.
This is where crazy speculative investors start buying medallions. After all it would only take a few more rules and yellow will be on top again. Anyone here want to start a go fund me for a NYC politician campaign contributions.
Stop your negativity. Like family cab said 2-3 rules must be twisted and we will be even better shape before uber era. Go to any garages Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights you will be positively surprise. Drivers waiting for cars like old days. Think start moving around. Don’t forget uber was in the city from 2010. Take 3,5 years put yellow to the ground. Even uber whit 68 billions can’t put as out of business. We will recover slowly but we will.
2-3 rule changes will turn everything around. Are you delusional? What changes? The only changes that are going to be made will be to bury us. wca,tot,black boxes are you kidding. Speculators buying medallions! Only a complete moron would buy a medallion now or in the future. And if uber starts giving wheelchair service that’s the end for the wca cabs. Uber will simply charge less. There is something that can be done but the industry has to do it. These guys that are leasing on weekends are just getting short rides. The Hoboken,Bay Ridge days are gone for good.
I have a plan that may work. Stand by……….
Ubers goal is to destroy the yellows. The city and Como are on ubers side. When uber gets rid of us which is only a matter of time if we don’t act. We need to do a work slow down. One day medallions ending in an odd # stay in then the next day even. Sometimes people don’t know what they have till they lose it. Uber will of course surge, the public will see what taxis means to them. We need the people on our side. Waiting for a miracle rule change is a loser.
You know what?jump from the bridge. This is will the end of your pain.
Good idea. Better do it before they toll all the bridges.
Booked this cab for my mom to get her to the airport while I was at work. She told me it was a great service. The driver arrived 5 minutes early to pick her up, was funny and talkative during the drive and very reasonably priced. Glad I found this service for my mom.
IT’S SUNDAY EVENING!
It’s just a reminder, because so much to talk about taxis!
Tune into Taxi Insider’s Radio Show on EVERY SUNDAY EVENING from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm on AM 710! – Don’t miss it! – wor710 dot com – You could
hear the show online too!!!
WHY ISNT TAXI DAVE ON TONIGHT
What is the status of the Melrose Credit Union lawsuit against New York City & the Taxi & Limousine Commssion
I don’t know the status but uber will win. They always do.
How do you street hail a self driving car?? Will the TLC really allow 30000 driverless ubers to be hailed from the streets?
Why hasnt anybody advertised about this new universal license? The industry needs drivers doesnt it?
Why doesnt the TLC differentiate E-hails that are street hails or not by time?
Why does nobody care that uber bleeds money?
Uber’s “scheduled rides” are the only legal ones that are properly pre arranged non street hails. Why dont these judges make an effort?
E-hails booked for NOW are street hails-
All e-hails scheduled for less than an hour away (give or take?) should be in exclusive domain of yellow cabs.
Uber can have scheduled rides only.
TIME is the factor.
TLC needs do an RFP (request for proposals) to see which technology (Uber? lyft? Gett? Flywheel?) best serves NYC yellows.
And the City needs cooler cars like Teslas
People at TLC ultimately need to fix this. Judges are overwhelmed with cases and justice is rushed. Discretion is left with TLC who is behind the times and slow to act. Can they come up with a creative solution? Doesnt NYC need a thriving, legal, and regulated yellow cab industry? De Blasio folds like a little pussycat and Cuomo is Uber puppet.
Uber has to stop pickup passenger in Manhattan ASAP TO Save Taxi industry because , yellow cab business only in Manhattan base. On the other hand Uber has busuness all over.