Neat rows of bright yellow taxis gleam in a sunny parking lot where drivers wait to bring their cabs into a new computerized inspection facility, the only one of its kind in the nation.

Although the ribbon-cutting is weeks away, inspectors at the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s Uniformed Service Bureau at the sprawling Woodside, Queens, facility are buzzing around each car as it passes through an assembly line of sophisticated computer diagnostic tests inside a six-lane hangar with four working lanes. The TLC is still phasing in new equipment and opening additional lanes to handle more cars.

As many as 400 inspections are conducted each day. If a car fails any part of the test, it must return for reinspection before receiving credentials. About 100 cars return for re-inspection each day, but thanks to the new technology, the waiting time has dropped to an average two hours from five. There are 12,187 medallion cabs in New York City, as well as 90 additional vehicles used as standby replacements to medallion cars. All the cabs must be inspected three times a year.

"We could use hundreds more inspectors," says Captain Thomas Kavanaugh, noting there are usually more than 30 inspectors working at any given time.

The computerized tests take about 25 minutes, and everything from headlights to tailpipe is inspected and assigned a grade. The new system took about three years to develop with the commission’s input.

"It’s all our design,” says Assistant Commissioner Jed Applebaum, a 26-year veteran who started as a Local 237 member in the title inspector in 1977.

"The system has its kinks and needs minor adjustments,” says Acting Director Angel Galban, another Local 237 member who rose through the ranks. “It’s a learning process. Some inspectors think it’s more work, but it’s easier. With the old system, they knew the ins and outs and they felt comfortable."

The average age of inspectors is mid-40s to 50s, according to Galban, who notes that turnaround rates are low in this title. Chief Martin Grindley, who began his career as an inspector, emphasizes that "the best training is hands on." Still, Galban observes a digital divide when it comes to computer training. "Older guys are more dependable, responsible, but younger ones seem to adapt better.”


Rotation at Positions

Although inspectors are trained to administer all four of the automated tests involved in the inspection, their positions are rotated each day. For example, on a recent Wednesday, Inspector Angelo Martinez was at Position 1, the first stage of the testing process. After greeting the driver and accepting documents for a taxi, he prepared an inspection sticker with a bar code that identifies the taxi and is scanned at each step of the cab’s journey through the test lane.

Martinez also activated the computer with his thumbprint, attached a hose to the tailpipe to contain emissions throughout the process, and conducted an onboard diagnostic (OBD) test for fumes. The safety criteria inside the test area exceed New York State and OSHA air quality standards, according to Galban.

Another inspector took the cab through Position 2, where its tires were whirled in midair while a computer checked the taximeter. A "Fail" on the computer screen turned into a "Pass" on the second try, and lucky 007 moved on after a headlight check.

At Position 3, the cab’s exterior and interior body were checked, as well as its suspension, shock absorbers, springs and signals.

At the last stop, Position 4, Inspector Jorge Ortega stood in a dugout below the car, shining light into every inch of the undercarriage, including the front and rear brakes.

"It’s hard to recruit inspectors," says Galban, "since they must be DMV certified, as well as certified mechanics and peace officers for an average pay of $28,000 a year. Mechanics make more money." Another job requirement is "to have minimum contact with drivers and their reps," says Galban, recalling 1992, when 32 inspectors were hit with federal charges for bribery. "All of them did time."


Checking for Violators

In a separate wing of the TLC compound, a fresh shift of inspectors from the Law Enforcement Division picked up their portable radios at a window, in preparation for their work in the field. These inspectors are peace officers authorized to remove non-medallion yellow cabs and car-service vehicles from city streets. On patrol throughout the boroughs, these inspectors are charged with stopping suspicious-looking cabs to enforce Commission rules, such as making sure medallions are affixed on the hood, or that license plates read New York. Often, New Jersey plates prowl for fares.

"It’s dangerous," says Lt. Sidney Edwards, who must approach irate drivers that don’t welcome his scrutiny. Inspectors have reported physical assaults, attempted hit-and-runs, and at the very least, verbal abuse while on the job. They are trained, however, with tactics to minimize dangers, such as keeping a certain distance from suspicious vehicles while flagging them down.

Visitors are welcome at a big window in TLC’s Hack Site offices where people wait to process medallion documents. TLC workers help to generate revenue for the city through auctioning of used vehicles, inspection fees, towing, and fines and violations that bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the city’s coffers annually.

The Commission recently completed a broad campaign, including TV commercials, seeking bids for medallions, which currently cost about $303,000. It also raised fares for the first time in eight years. This month the starting fare is up 25 percent, from $2 to $2.50, and each additional fifth of a mile is up from 30 cents to 40 cents. In another nod to the digital age, cabs will accept credit cards, perhaps by November. It’s not your grandpa’s TLC.