Sikh taxi drivers gather at work in New York City. South Asian Americans drive more than half of all

Sikh taxi drivers gather at work in New York City. South Asian Americans drive more than half of all taxi cabs in the city.

The taxi industry is tied up in America’s botched history of South Asian racial classification. In 1984, when applying for licenses, drivers were asked to indicate their race/ethnicity. The choices given were: white, black, Indian, Asian, Hispanic. As a result, the The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was surprised to find their drivers to be 34% white, 27% black, 15% Indian, 12% Asian, 11% Hispanic, because: “The Indian category, originally meant to refer to Native Americans, [was] selected by most drivers born in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, as well as some drivers born in northeastern Africa.” Recognizing the impossibility of a New York City workforce composed of 15% Native Americans, the questionnaire was amended in 1992 to include the category Asian Indian.