South Asians dominate list of New York taxi drivers

NEW YORK, Mar 9 (Reuters) New York City's taxi fleet has the reputation of being dominated by foreign-born drivers, and now there are numbers to prove it.

Bangladesh tops the list with 5,200 drivers, and the United States is fifth with 2,300, according to Taxi and Limousine Commission records reviewed by the New York Sun newspaper and today.

Drivers report their place of birth on their license applications, which the newspaper examined. There are 43,402 medallion taxi cab licensees in the city, the newspaper said.

Pakistan and India came in second and third place, followed by Haiti and then the United States.

Of the 2,300 U.S.-born taxi drivers, fewer than 1,500 are New York City natives, the Sun reported.

A small number of drivers come from Europe, including two born in Switzerland.

A spokesman for the commission could not immediately verify the figures.

The commission estimates that more than 52,000 taxis and limousines transport 1.2 million passengers per day in New York.

REUTERS DKS PM0423