Some livery cab drivers are being paid to shift their focus from passengers to pedestrians.
Over the past six months, Con Edison has hired about 1,000 drivers as short term security guards to watch over high voltage spots and ward off pedestrians, until crews can repair them.
Con Ed says it doesn't have enough vans to monitor dangerous work sites.
The mayor says it's a great idea.
"I thought it was one of the smartest things I ever heard,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “They have got a problem they want to protect the public, they can't grab somebody from another job where they're trying to do what's right. They've accomplished everything and they don't need an extra fleet of trucks or people."
Con Ed wouldn't discuss the specific cost of hiring the livery drivers, but says it's part of a $4 million program to deal with "stray voltage" problems.
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