‘They stole from us’: the New York taxi drivers mired in debt over medallions

Once an asset that secured a comfortable retirement, the medallion's worth has plummeted, leaving drivers financially ruined. Here are some of their stories

For more than a century, taxi drivers have transported busy New Yorkers to their jobs, to brunch, or home from a late night out. A symbol of the city made globally famous in countless Hollywood films, the drivers of these yellow cabs are majority immigrants and people of color.

Driving a New York City cab has been a vital path for immigrants, and their families, to make a decent living. But in recent years all that has changed. Now, many are struggling under the burden of life-altering debt after investing in a taxi medallion.