A Taxi Driver Took His Own Life. His Family Blames Uber’s Influence
A Taxi Driver Took His Own Life. His Family Blames Uber’s Influence.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The yellow taxi that Nicanor Ochisor drove, outside his home in Maspeth, Queens.Credit...Kholood Eid for The New York TimesA series of suicides in New York has drawn attention to the economic desperation of drivers competing with ride-hailing apps.The yellow taxi that Nicanor Ochisor drove, outside his home in Maspeth, Queens.Credit...Kholood Eid for The New York TimesMay 1, 2018Helen Ochisor drove the yellow taxi in the morning. Her husband Nicanor took it in the afternoon.They rarely saw each other during the week. She was asleep when he got home after a long night of driving. They exchanged a quick hello while handing off the taxi.Immigrants from Romania, the couple had bought their New York City taxi medallion nearly three decades ago. Lately, it had been difficult to find fares. Her husband worked 12-hour shifts, but brought home less money. He was worried about the plunging value of their once-lucrative medallion and frustrated about Uber’s takeover of the industry.On a cold day in March, Mr. Ochisor hanged himself in his garage in Queens. His family blames the growing hopelessness he felt over his fortunes as a taxi driver.“It depressed him, it irritated him, it probably angered him — maybe all three,” his son Gabriel Ochisor said in an interview at the family’s home. “It was definitely a factor. Otherwise, we can’t piece together any other factor.”“We have a 7-month-old over there,” he said pointing to his infant son — his father’s first grandchild, who lived upstairs. “Why would you want to leave?”Nicanor Ochisor, 64, was one of four professional drivers to take their lives in the last five months. Another driver, Doug Schifter, killed himself with a shotgun in front of City Hall in February after sharing a Facebook post about the financial turmoil he was facing.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT