Taxi Drivers Honored for Taking the High Road
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Michael O’Sullivan’s friends gasped when he purchased a taxi medallion in 1954 for $20,000. Now, his medallion is worth almost half a million dollars, a gasp-worthy sum that makes it a more profitable investment even than most New York City real estate ventures.
Mr. O’Sullivan, 82, who yesterday accepted a lifetime achievement award from the city, is one of the 10 oldest active taxi drivers in New York, according to a spokesman for the Taxi & Limousine Commission. Mr. O’Sullivan still drives seven days a week and says he’s reluctant to retire and cash in on his medallion.
Mr. O’Sullivan’s delight yesterday seemed tinged with regret that the honor would likely signify the near-end of a storied career, during which he chauffeured President Nixon and a former secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, through Manhattan in his taxi. “I have collected too many stories to remember,” Mr. O’Sullivan said.
About 70 taxi drivers gathered yesterday on the rooftop garden of Rockefeller Center to be honored by the city for going beyond the call of duty for their passengers’ safety.
The “Driver of the Year” was Alande Nicholas, who was highlighted for chasing down a speeding truck that he witnessed plowing into a parked car on Riverside Drive. The soft-spoken taxi driver originally from Haiti helped police officers apprehend the perpetrator of the hit-and-run. “I never question helping people after someone helped my son,” Mr. Nicholas said. His 24-year-old son, Christopher, recently received a heart transplant.
Drivers Paul Louis, Boris Kleyman, and Mahdi Graja were singled out for putting themselves at risk to protect their passengers from dangerous situations. When Mr. Graja noticed a threatening individual lurking near where he had dropped off a female passenger, he picked her up again and circled the block with her for free until she felt safe enough to go home. Mr. Kleyman used his car to block traffic when he saw an old man lose his balance and fall to the ground in the middle of the street. Driving to La Guardia Airport, Mr. Louis stopped on the side of the road when he saw another taxicab broken down. He took the cabbie’s helpless passenger to the airport in time for him to catch his flight.
The taxi commissioner, Matthew Daus, yesterday called these taxi drivers the city’s “unsung heroes.”
