New York cabbies to have a fresh dress code

There is a dress code for New York City cab drivers. It is right there on Page 23 of the 62-page manual the city issues to cabbies detailing the rules and regulations regarding their conduct and attitude.

No tube shirts; no tank tops; no bathing trunks. Sartorial scofflaws face a $25 fine. Truth is, though, the rule has come to be regarded as at once overly specific and under-enforced.

Now, the city's taxi regulators need to change that. The Taxi and Limousine charge is issuing a new dress code, broader in language, in the hopes it can be more widely followed: all cab drivers, the new code states, must "present a professional appearance.

" Taking on the issue of cab driver attire may be an ambitious task for a city agency that still struggles to meaningfully impose basic, arguably more pressing rules of the road: keep to the speed limit; hang up that cellphone. But officials said they were committed to enhanced vigilance.