Another NYC Cabbie Dies By Suicide, Latest In String Of Deaths

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A New York City taxi driver took his own life last week, the eighth in a yearlong string of suicides by professional drivers, city officials confirmed Wednesday. Roy Kim, 58, died by hanging on Nov. 5 in Bayside, Queens, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said.

Kim bought his taxi medallion last year and worked six days a week for as long as 14 hours a day, said Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

Friends believed his financial situation played a role in his death, Desai said. Buying his medallion had left him with more than $500,000 in debt, friends told the New York Post.

"He was just struggling," Desai said.

Seven other drivers have died by suicide since last November, some under the weight of crushing debt and intense pressure from ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

The most recent death was that of Fausto Luna, an Uber driver who jumped in front of a subway train in September. Taxi driver Abdul Saleh was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment about three months earlier, in June.

News of Kim's death emerged the same day that the City Council passed pieces of legislation aimed at helping drivers, including one bill that would create a task force to study medallion prices. The Taxi and Limousine Commission said it supported the measures.

"This tragedy underscores the importance of finding new ways for government, the industry and lenders to work in unity to address the financial challenges that are weighing so heavily on our licensees," TLC Chair Meera Joshi said in a statement on Kim's death.

The city this summer imposed a first-in-the-nation freeze on most new for-hire vehicles like those used by Uber and Lyft, a move meant to help ease the struggles drivers have faced.

The city has also worked to get drivers information about mental health resources by holding events and creating educational material with the Taxi Workers Alliance, a TLC spokesman said.

But Desai said change needs to come quickly, and it "has to be material because the crisis is material."

"None of the owner-drivers I know are trying to get out of the industry," Desai said. "People at this point, they’re trying to hold on to the medallion and they’re looking for help to hold on."

The Independent Drivers Guild, a group representing drivers for four ride-hailing apps, also said it was "deeply saddened" to learn of Kim's death.

"Our message to drivers is to hold on: we are SO close to making this industry better, and you are not alone," the guild said in a statement.

Anyone struggling with mental health can get help by calling National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visiting this website New Yorkers can also find resources by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL.

(Lead image: Photo by David Allen/Patch)