NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar prints its final issue this year

New York, USA — After seven long, wild years, the NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar are pulling the parking brake on its publication.

Married couple and creative team Shannon Kirkman and Philip Kirkman announced that this year’s calendar will be the last.

“It’s been quite a ride, punctuated by so many memorable experiences,” the creators wrote in a letter. “From feather-haired Alex posing with a 10-foot python to nearly-nude Dan popping out of his trunk to Hassan eating from a cake with his face on it.

Over the course of 80+ photoshoots, these intrepid men and women stepped outside their comfort zones to be a part of a project that we hope has been as humanizing as it has been funny.”

The calendar was first published in 2013 by the Kirkmans. Phil is a writer and director and Shannon is a photographer.

It was originally meant as a way to make people laugh. However, it’s done more than bring joy to NYC – the sales from the $14.99 calendar raised more than $70,000 for University Settlement, a nonprofit that provides services for immigrant families.

Meanwhile, it may be sad to see them go, but it seems that this final edition won’t disappoint.

The 2020 edition is chock-full of shirtless, saucy poses from NYC cabbies. This year’s cover features Sadi, who poses through an empty frame.

August’s Alex. (Photos courtesy NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar)

Then we also have Mr. August Alex Sheng, who hails from China. In his photoshoot, Alex in rubber-ducky swim trunks is squeezing a soapy sponge over his head, suggestively soaking his bare chest.

“He posed with a python last year,” Philip said. “We know he can do almost anything.”

It’s also a return for Poland’s Darek Zielinksi, who is now Mr. May accessorizing his tattooed torso with a smoking car engine.

Alongside these quirky gentlemen, we have Dorothy, a female driver who poses several times around her car in a single photo. And then there’s Arminda who came to New York in 1963 with five small children. In the calendar, Arminda a little overwhelmed by receipts for September.

Arminda wrapped by receipts for September. (Courtesy NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar)

Overall, the calendar features two female drivers; eight cabbies from eight different countries; and 10 immigrant drivers with first-time representation from Haiti and Peru.

“Going into this, we had certain assumptions,” says Philip, recalling the magic moment when they shot their first subject seven years ago. “We learn their stories and have grown close to some of them.”

Moreover, when asked why they wanted to stop publishing, Philip explained that they wanted to stop while they were ahead.

“Creatively, we feel like we took the idea to its limit,” he said. “Over the past couple of years, and this year especially, we found that we were running into ourselves more and more. There was a lot of ‘we’ve already kind of done that’. And to us, keeping it fresh and unique has always been the top priority. It was really important for us to go out on a high note.”

You can buy the final issue of the NYC Taxi Drivers Calendar at nyctaxicalendar.com.