Taxicabs of New York City

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The taxicabs of New York City, with their distinctive yellow paint, are a widely recognized icon of the city.^[1] Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. The Commission is a New York City government agency, within the New York City Department of Transportation, that is best known for its responsibility for the more than 13,087 taxis operating in the city.^[2] It also oversees over 40,000 other for-hire vehicles, including "black cars", commuter vans and ambulettes.^[1] "Medallion taxis," the familiar yellow cabs, are the only vehicles in the city permitted to pick up passengers in response to a street hail.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early 1900s - The Checker Cab 1.2 1930s - Medallion System Introduced 1.3 1960s - Yellow Cabs 1.4 1970s - New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission 1.5 1980s - Demographic change in drivers 1.6 1990s - Changes in types of vehicles and Operation Refusal 1.7 2000s - New computer technologies, hybrid vehicles, and diesel vehicles 2 Medallion taxicabs and livery taxicabs 3 Hailing a medallion taxicab 4 Fares 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early 1900s - The Checker Cab

The first taxicab company in New York was the New York Taxicab Company, which in 1907 imported 600 gasoline-powered cars from France. The cars were painted red and green. Within a decade several more companies opened business and taxicabs began to proliferate. The fare was 50 cents a mile, a rate only affordable to the relatively wealthy.^[3] Previous taxis, including the one that killed Henry Bliss in 1899, were electric.

By the 1920s, industrialists recognized the potential of the taxicab market. Automobile manufacturers like General Motors and the Ford Motor Company began operating fleets. The most successful manufacturer, however, was the Checkered Cab Manufacturing Company. Founded by Morris Markin, Checker Cabs produced the large yellow and black taxis that became one of the most recognizable symbols of mid-20th century urban life. For many years Checker cabs were the most popular taxis in New York City.

[edit] 1930s - Medallion System Introduced

During the Great Depression New York had as many as 30,000 cab drivers. With more drivers than passengers, cab drivers were working longer hours; additionally, there were concerns regarding the maintenance and mechanical integrity of the vehicles. In considering how to handle the situation, the city considered creating a taxi monopoly. The plan was abandoned after Mayor Jimmy Walker was accused of accepting a bribe from the Parmelee Company, the largest taxi company.

In 1937 Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia signed the Haas Act, which introduced official taxi licenses and the medallion system that remains in place today.

The law limited the number of licenses to 16,900, but the number dwindled to 11,787, a limit which continued until 1996 when the TLC added 133 cabs.^[4]. Since then more medallions have been added to the fleet and the city still only has around 13,000 medallions.^[5]

Because the medallion system artificially restricts the number of cabs, it has been criticized as a barrier to entry to the taxi market ^[6] that somewhat paradoxically has created a market for illegal taxicab operation in areas underserved by medallion cabs. Because the cost of leasing a medallion is so high, the system may cut into the income of drivers and raise costs to passengers. On the other hand, some transportation analysts contend that cities with no barriers to entry to the taxi market end up with an abundance of poorly maintained taxis. They say that a medallion system helps the city to better regulate taxis and enables the city to raise the standards of all taxis. ^[7]

The medallions which could not be sold for a simple $10 renewal fee during the 1930s are now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with fleet medallions topping $600,000 in 2007^[8] Over the years, many medallions once owned by individual drivers were sold to large taxi fleets. To preserve the opportunity for individual drivers to own and drive their own taxi, certain medallions were designated for owner-operators. These cabs must be personally driven by the medallion owner for 210 nine-hour shifts per year, after which they can, if the driver chooses, be leased out. Corporate medallions, on the other hand, cost more, and are required to be leased double shifts, 365 days a year. About 29% of all taxis are owner operated, the rest are leased.

[edit] 1960s - Yellow Cabs

In the 1960s New York City experienced many of the problems of social unrest that engulfed other American cities.^{[citation needed]} Crime rates increased along with racial tensions.^{[citation needed]} As a result, a quickly growing industry of private livery services emerged. Unofficial drivers were barred from picking up people on the street, but they readily found business in under-served neighborhoods. In 1967, New York City ordered all "medallion taxis" be painted yellow to help cut down on unofficial drivers and make official taxicabs more readily recognizable.^[3]

The wife of the President of New Departure, Nettie Rockwell, particularly liked the color yellow and it therefore became the color of the new Rockwell taxicabs. The Rockwell Service Cab became the Yellow Taxicab when Mrs. Rockwell selected that as her choice of color for the auto.^[3]

[edit] 1970s - New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was established in 1971 with jurisdiction over the city's medallion (yellow) taxicabs, livery cabs, "black cars", commuter vans, paratransit vehicles (ambulettes) and some luxury limousines. The TLC was founded to deal with the growing number of drivers and to address issues important to both the taxi and livery industries. Its predecessor was the New York City Hack Bureau, operated under the aegis of the New York City Police Department.

In the 1970s and 1980s both the unofficial livery services and the medallion taxicab companies began finding more and more of their drivers in the growing populations of Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern immigrants to the city as the previous generation of cabbies retired and moved out of the city.^{[citation needed]} Crime in New York City had become severe at this point, and cabbies were often the victims of robberies and street crime.^{[citation needed]} NOT ACTUALLY bulletproof partitions between the rear passenger seat and the driver became common in the late sixties.

In fact, the first taxi partition requirements were implemented in the late 1960's. Originally, only fleet owned taxis from the larger fleets were required to install partitions. This inspired the large fleets to break up into mini-fleets to avoid the partition installation problems. The partition installation mandate grew to include more cabs as the years passed by. For some time drivers of individually owned and operated cabs avoided the requirement. That aspect became limited to only when the owner was the only driver. If anyone else drove, there had to be a partition. The applicability of the partition installation mandate again expanded when the TLC forced partition installation on livery cars in 1994.

According to the earliest reference to NYC taxi partition installation mandates the mandate started much earlier than the 1990's;

The New York Times Thursday January 30th, 1969

Cab Robberies Drop as More Policemen Work as Drivers

The owners of 6,800 fleet taxicabs here reported yesterday that there had been a sharp decline in the number of assaults and robberies on cab drivers in the second half of 1968. In the first four months of the year there were 235 assaults and robberies of drivers and in the last eight months, 170, The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade said. The fleet owners had no definite explanation for the decline, but suggested... A factor, owners believe, was the installation of partitions between the driver and passenger of all fleet owned taxicabs last September. The 4,600 cabs owned by individuals were not required to install partitions because 60% of assaults and robberies occur between 9 P.M. and 6 A.M. and most owner/drivers tend to work during the day . The fleet owners are hopeful that the decline will continue and that more drivers will be attracted to the industry, particularly for work at night, when many cabs are idle .

Excerpt; 1985 TLC Regs. for cabs - page 6 of 11

5. SECURITY: a. Provision shall be made for installing a partition approved by the TLC which would isolate the driver from the rear seat passengers. b. Vehicles which substantially exceed minimum interior dimensional requirements and come from the factory already equipped with bullet resistant partitions that meet the requirements of this specification, may be exempt from this specification. The request for exemption must be in writing to the TLC and must be made by the vehicle manufacturer or his authorized representative. c. A 0.085 in. thick plate of ballistic steel capable of stopping a .45 cal. A.C.P. should be installed inside the back-rest of the front seat. The protective plate shall cover the complete back-rest area (top to bottom- -side to side), which is exposed to the rear seat compartment. d. Provision shall be made for installing an approved lockbox in a location which does not interfere with the driver or occupants.

The actual 'start date' of the taxi partition requirement for NYC cabs has been cited, by the TLC, as 1994,1995 or 1996.

NEW YORK CITY TAXI & LIMOUSINE COMMISSION

January 28, 1997

            Dear Mr. _______,
        

Thank you for taking the time to share with us your concerns and opinions, as stated in your January 15 e-mail. If I may, I would like to clear up some of the misconceptions expressed in your communication. It was far more recently, two or so years, in fact, since the partition was mandated for fleet taxicabs. Former Police Commissioner Bratton was in no way involved in the process, which was enacted wholly by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission and supported by the Giuliani Administration. I must take exception with your remark regarding the City’s motives in passing a partition requirement. Through its passage, as well as the passage of rules mandating such other innovations as the trouble light, we have done more than appear functional in protecting cab drivers,’ we have been successful in protecting cab drivers. If you have information pertinent to the safety of taxicab drivers in the City of New York, we would indeed be most grateful if you would share it with us.

Sincerely, Dianne McGrath-McKechnie Chairperson New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission

NEW YORK CITY TAXI & LIMOUSINE COMMISSION

221 West 41St Street, New York, New York 10036-7208 (212) 840-4520

DIANE MCGRATH-McKECHNIE Commisslonerichalrperson

March 28, 1997

Dear Mr. _________,

I am in receipt of your recent e-mail...

The partition was first required for non-individually owned and operated taxicabs approximately two years ago. Independently-owned taxicabs are not required to have the partitions and their owners may install and remove them as they see fit.

The time of the partition mandate was prior to my administration of this agency...

No, the partition mandate was never withdrawn and has remained consistent.

Yes, I believe our Legal Department is knowledgeable in all areas of legal standards for such devices.

This is a difficult question to answer. (What benefit has the TLC or any agency measured with partition installation mandates... was the question) If you are asking how many crimes-in-progress were specifically thwarted by the partition, I am afraid I do not have such an answer. However, seeing as though there has been a single murder of a New York City taxicab driver in the last three years, I think it is quite safe to say that the partition has been a successful deterrent to crime. Of course, it is also true to state that this deterrent was supplemented by the trouble light, and the overall 40%-plus reduction in crime across the City of New York, thanks to the initiatives of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Sincerely, Dianne McGrath-McKechnie Chairperson New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission

[edit] 1980s - Demographic change in drivers

By the mid-1980s and into the 1990s the demographic changes among cabbies began to accelerate as new waves of immigrants arrived in New York. Today, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, of the 62,000 cabbies in New York 82% are foreign born: 23% are from the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and 30% from South Asia (India, and Pakistan]]).^[9][10] The production of the famous Checker Cab had stopped and although there were still many in operation, the Chevrolet Caprice became the industry top choice.

The working conditions of cabbies have changed as crime in New York has plummeted, while the cost of medallions has increased and fewer cabbies own their taxicabs than in previous times.

Some drivers question the hypocrisy of ethnically profiling all drivers while condemning the drivers for allegedly doing the same.

[edit] 1990s - Changes in types of vehicles and Operation Refusal

In 1996, when Chevrolet stopped making the Caprice, the Ford Crown Victoria became the most widely used sedan for yellow cabs in New York. In addition, yellow cab operators also use the Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Venture, Ford Freestar, and Toyota Sienna minivans which offer increased passenger room. The distinctive Checker cabs have, due to their reputation for durable construction and track record of long 'runs' of many body parts and components availability, been phased out only recently, the last one being retired in July 1999, being over 20 years in service and nearly one million miles on its odometer.^[11] Laws since 1996 require taxis be replaced every 6 years regardless of condition.

In 1999, actor Danny Glover filed a complaint with the TLC after he was allegedly refused service by New York cab drivers.^[12] This resulted in a highly publicized Operation Refusal crackdown on drivers who were allegedly discriminating against certain passengers for various bias-related reasons.^[13]

However, Giuliani's crackdowns led to a series of successful lawsuits against the city and the TLC. In 2000, a federal judge ruled that the NYPD had violated taxi drivers' First Amendment rights by refusing to let the drivers engage in a peaceful protest of new rules. The TLC also lost a series of cases in state courts for implementing rules without allowing for notice and comment. In 2000, another federal judge ruled that the Operation Refusal sting violated the cabbies' due process rights. In 2004, TLC inspectors were embarrassed when they handcuffed and arrested 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace, charging him with disorderly conduct for simply questioning the treatment of his driver. In 2006, the city was forced to settle the remaining aspects of the Operation Refusal case. Under the settlement, the TLC agreed to pay a group of 500 taxi drivers $7 million.^[14] Mr. Glover is aware that the driver unlocked the doors to the cab and allowed entry in an active traffic lane, which is a violation of TLC rules which could result in hundreds of dollars in fines for the driver. Apparently THIS driver was very anxious to have these customers ride in his cab.

[edit] 2000s - New computer technologies, hybrid vehicles, and diesel vehicles

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (June 2009)

In 2005, New York introduced incentives to replace its current yellow cabs with electric hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid^[15]. In May 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a five-year plan to switch New York City's taxicabs to more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles as part of an agenda for New York City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.mixedpower.com/government/automakers-warn-against-using-hybrids-as-taxicabs/ Two of the world’s largest automakers, Toyota and Honda, have issued outright warnings against using their hybrid passenger vehicles as commercial taxicabs. In addition, Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Nissan, have refused to certify the crashworthiness of their hybrid New York City taxicabs as modified with mandatory partitions.

Instead, the automakers shift that responsibility to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which shift it to the federal government — which does not require automakers to crash test vehicles modified with the hard, bulletproof taxi partitions.

In late 2007, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) mandated that all new taxis, the vast majority of which are required to have partitions, be hybrids or other vehicles that achieve 25 miles-per-gallon, disallowing the purpose-built stretch Ford Crown Victoria taxicab.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade has mounted a legal challenge, citing a 2008 engineer’s report that finds hybrids to be unsafe and unfit as New York City taxicabs. The mandate has been delayed and awaits a federal court ruling expected later this month...The TLC has confirmed that it does not crash test hybrid taxicabs modified with partitions and says it relies, in large part, on federal testing to assert the safety of hybrid taxicabs.

However, it has also been established that there are no federal crash tests for hybrid taxicabs modified with partitions — nor are there front or rear crash tests in unmodified hybrids for adult rear occupants, which comprise the majority of taxi passengers.

Hybrid automakers explicitly warn against any modifications to hybrid vehicles in the owner manuals. And indeed, according to automotive engineer C. Bruce Gambardella, partitions in hybrids are a “crude modification” that “changes the entire interior environment and takes us back about a half a century in automotive safety.”

C. Bruce Gambardella is backed up by many NYC trauma surgeons and plastic/reconstructive surgeon's alarms about taxi partition hazards.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 New York City ER Trauma Surgeons Quantify Partition Risk. In 1996 four surgeons from the Department of Surgery, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center released a report, this is a review of it.

“Craniofacial injuries resulting from taxicab accidents in New York City” Taxicab accidents are a common occurrence in New York City. This review was undertaken to characterize the nature of craniofacial injuries that result from taxicab accidents. Data were collected on 16 patients who required admission to trauma or plastic and reconstructive surgery services, after sustaining craniofacial injury as a result of a taxicab accidents. Front-end deceleration collisions were the most common mechanism of injury. Fifty-six percent of the patients were thrown against the bulletproof, Plexiglas driver safety divider and sustained an injury most commonly to the anterior midface. Both bony and soft tissue injuries were common in the entire group.

Complex facial fractures were sustained by 56% of patients, with nasal-septal fractures, most commonly followed by naso-ethmoid-orbital, anterior frontal, anterior maxillary, and Le Fort I and II fractures.

Only 1 patient in the group was wearing a seat belt and that patient was a driver. Given the high incidence of craniofacial injury, appropriate safety standards for taxicabs must be initiated, including the reevaluation of the utility of the safety divider and mandatory seat belt use for rear-seat passengers. “Craniofacial injuries resulting from taxicab accidents in New York City”. Talmor M, Barie PS, Shapiro D, Hoffman LA, LaTrenta G. Department of Surgery, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, NY 10021, USA. ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan, “The deaths and injuries attributed to taxicab accidents are highly preventable.” NY Times Article 7/20/98 Dr. John E. Sherman - an assistant clinical professor at New York Hospital -Cornell University Medical College is a vocal critic of the partitions. New York's Riders an Unfastened Lot By Alisha Berger - NY Times 12/29/98 Dr. Seth Manoach, lead author of the report, said 'The plexiglas partition that separates the front and back of the cab, protruding change dish, and metal border can cause serious injury in an accident.' He urged taxi passengers to buckle up "Sit in one of the seats with shoulder and lap belts. The middle seats don't have them and during a front-end collision, your head is going to come forward and hit the barrier." And relatives of the deceased; Daniel Hession of Hingham... in 1991, Hession's daughter, Eileen Hession of Brookline, was killed when a car ran a red light on Commonwealth Avenue and smashed into the back seat of the cab she was taking to work. "She might have survived the accident." Dr. Ralph Upchurch, chief of emergency medicine at Somerville Hospital, said... the back seat of a cab can be especially dangerous because of the plastic divider between the front and back seats -- a device that is required in all Boston cabs. Report: Hybrid cabs with partitions deemed unsafe in crash September 8, 2008 By Scott Evans The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT), which represents the cab drivers and passengers of New York City taxi cabs, has filed a lawsuit to stop a law that would require all NYC taxi cabs to get 25 mpg starting October 1. The Board has released a report by a consulting automotive engineer that concludes that taxi cabs based on current hybrid cars and modified as required by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are unsafe in accidents and that the new fuel efficiency law is arbitrary and unrealistic. "From an engineering standpoint, vehicles have to be designed for the duty cycle they are likely to encounter and cannot feature modifications that will compromise their safety systems," said C. Bruce Gambardella, the author of the report.

The primary focus of the report is on the partitions between the front and back seats. The TLC mandates that all taxis have a partition to protect the driver from robbery or assault. According to the report, partitions placed in hybrid taxi cabs can block side curtain airbags and prevent passengers from properly distancing themselves from front airbags. The report also found that because the hybrids being used aren't stretched like the venerable Ford Crown Victoria, the rear-seat legroom is diminished, and with a partition in place, the rear seat passengers are so close to the partition that it's possible for them to be thrown into it face-first in a crash even if they're belted in. Additionally, it was found that the partitions can come loose easily in a crash. The report took particular issue with L-shaped partitions that surround the driver and allow the cab to carry a front seat passenger, as the partition creates a very small space for the driver and has many sharp edges that could cause injury in a crash. The report states that the TLC either did not read or ignored manufacturer's warnings on the hybrids that forbid modifications like partitions that interfere with vehicle safety devices. The report notes some 75 warnings on 5 hybrid models approved by the TLC that have been disregarded. In excerpts from the report, Gambardella writes that "due to the mandatory vehicle modifications, the TLC has, in effect, created its own vehicle design" and that "as such, the TLC has an obligation to crash-test the modified vehicles or require that the automakers crash-test the vehicles as modified." Gambardella notes that "it is completely unknown whether these modified cars would pass federal crash tests." In his opinion, "no automaker would put such an inadequately tested vehicle on the road, nor should the public or any federal regulatory agency stand for it."

Yet they do stand for it. Despite the obvious violation of manufacturer's warnings, the MTBOT sent the reports findings to the manufacturers of the hybrids and demanded crash tests and supporting documentation that would show the vehicles are crashworthy when outfitted with partitions and other taxi-specific equipment. Not surprisingly, given the disregard for the warnings, the MTBOT has received no response, though the move was likely just meant to cover all of their bases, legally-speaking. The report also found that hybrids in general are not built with taxi work in mind. Ford Crown Victoria-based cabs are specially built stretched versions that are built specifically for taxi duty, which can mean up to 100,000 miles of city driving per year. Hybrids are built for private use, where consumers rarely rack up more than 20,000 miles per year. Hybrids are not built with partitions and other equipment in mind, where as fleet taxis are. On the other hand, cabbies told MT Executive Editor Matt Stone that many hybrid cabs have gone well over 150,00 miles with no trouble and are popular with customers. The entire controversy has stemmed out of a law passed in New York City that will require all taxis to get 25 mpg or better starting October 1. Eight-cylinder Crown Victorias aren't capable of that kind of mileage, nor are other large cars that could serve as taxis. For that reason, taxi companies are turning to hybrids in order to comply with the new law, despite the fact that the hybrids were not designed with taxi use in mind. The MTBOT has filed a lawsuit to halt the law from going into effect because of the safety concerns found in the report. The lawsuit alleges that the 25 mpg standard is arbitrary and that the city violated its own long-standing procedures that require safety testing and a pilot program before new vehicles can be mandated for use. The suit also claims that the city's law is pre-empted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation act, as well as the Clean Air Act. "The City's dangerously aggressive hybrid taxi mandate presents a public danger to our 240 million annual passengers and tens of thousands of taxi drivers, as this report makes clear," Ron Sherman, President of the MTBOT said in a statement. "MTBOT has desperately tried to work with the TLC and the Bloomberg Administration on a taxi policy that improves the environment without compromising public safety, but to no avail. We were left with no choice but to seek the court's intervention to prevent the City from making a tragic mistake." The New York City Council Transportation Committee held an oversight hearing on the issue on June 3, 2008, but the TLC refused to testify. The committee is holding another oversight hearing on September 10, where the MTBOT and Gambardella will present the 43-page report. Source: Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade

Result; The Judge ruled on the basis of the authority assumed to set different fuel economy standards than the Feds, not on the occupant interior partition impact risk or airbag deployment conflict. Approximately 90% of New York's 13,000 yellow cabs are Ford Crown Victoria's. This proposal will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will be the equivalent of removing 32,000 private cars from the road.^[16] The rules were eventually revised to require all taxis to have a fuel economy of at least 25 miles per gallon, and in 2009, the Volkswagen Jetta, which has a diesel TDI version gets more than 29 miles per gallon, entered the taxi fleet.^[17]

From September to December 2007, many of the taxis participated in a voluntary public art project called Garden in Transit in which flower decals painted by children were affixed to the hoods of taxis.

The TLC has mandated that by the end of January 2008 all taxis should be equipped with a Passenger Information Monitor (PIM) that is a screen in the backseat that can provide entertainment, a live GPS map of location, and be used to pay for rides by swiping a credit card. The drivers will have an electronic Driver Information Monitor (DIM) in which messages can be sent to them informing them of traffic conditions and facilitating retrieving lost objects.^[18]

Several taxicab drivers objecting to the cost of the devices (estimated at between $3,000 and $5,000 each)^[19] staged voluntary strikes on September 5th and 6th and October 22 in 2007. The city implemented a “zone pricing” structure during the days and the strikes had minimal impact on the city according to officials.^[20]

Originally, before October 2007, NYC Yellow cabs displayed the fare stickers in the front doors and the Words "NYC Taxi" and the medallion number on the back doors. On September 30, 2007, all of the yellow cab decals were redesigned. Now, the cabs are easily identified with the medallion number followed with a checker pattern on the left and right rear fenders. A futuristic fare panel on the rear doors, and the front doors display a retroistic "NYC Taxi".^[21]

[edit] Medallion taxicabs and livery taxicabs

Only "medallion taxicabs," those painted in distinctive yellow paint and regulated by the TLC, are permitted to pick up passengers in response to a street hail. The TLC also regulates and licenses for-hire vehicles, known as “car services” or “livery cabs”, which are prohibited from picking up street hails (although this is less often enforced in outer boroughs) and are supposed to pick up only those customers who have called the car service's dispatcher and requested a car.

While medallion taxicabs in New York are always yellow, car service vehicles may be any color but yellow, and are usually black. For this reason, these taxi operators are sometimes called “black car” services. Despite the de jure prohibition on picking up passengers who hail on the street, some livery cabs nevertheless do so anyway, often to make extra money. When a livery cab engages in street pick-ups, it becomes known as a "gypsy cab." They are often found in areas not routinely visited by medallion cabs, and authorities tend to turn a blind eye to the practice rather than leave sections of the city without cab service. The use of gypsy cabs is strictly at the rider’s risk, and it is recommended that passengers negotiate a fare with the driver before entering, as the cabs are not equipped with meters, and fares are not regulated by the TLC. The driver also is taking a risk that the passenger will leave without paying.

Medallion taxicabs are named for the official medallion issued by the TLC and attached to a taxi’s hood. The medallion may be purchased from the City at infrequent auctions, or from another medallion owner. Because of their high prices (often over $400,000)^[22] medallions (and most cabs) are owned by investment companies and are leased to drivers ("hacks"). An auction was held in 2006 where 308 new medallions were sold. In the 2006 auction all medallions were designated as either hybrids (254) or handicap accessible (54) taxis.

[edit] Hailing a medallion taxicab

Yellow cabs are concentrated in the borough of Manhattan, but patrol throughout the five boroughs of New York City and may be hailed with a raised hand or by standing at a taxi stand. A cab's availability is indicated by the lights on the top of the car. When just the center light showing the medallion number is lit, the cab is empty and available. When the OFF DUTY inscriptions to either side of the medallion number are lit, the cab is off duty and not accepting passengers. When no lights are lit, the cab is occupied by passengers. There is an additional round amber light mounted on the left side of the trunk, as well as an amber light at the front of the cab, usually hidden from view behind the grille. When activated by the driver, these "trouble lights" blink to summon the police.

A maximum of four passengers may be carried in most cabs, although larger minivans may accommodate five passengers, and one child under seven can sit on an adult’s lap in the back seat if the maximum has been reached.^[23] Drivers are required to pick up the first or closest passenger they see, and may not refuse a trip to a destination anywhere within the five boroughs, neighboring Westchester and Nassau Counties, or to Newark Liberty International Airport. The TLC operates undercover anti-discrimination stings to ensure cabbies do not engage in racial profiling or otherwise discriminate against passengers hailing cabs from the street.

[edit] Fares

As of June 2006, fares begin at $2.50 ($3.00 after 8:00 p.m., and $3.50 during the peak weekday hours of 4:00–8:00 p.m.) and increase based on the distance traveled and time spent in slow traffic (40 cents for each one-fifth of a mile or 60 seconds of no motion or motion under 12 miles an hour). The passenger also has to pay the fare whenever a cab is driven through a toll. The taxi must have an E-ZPass tag, and passengers pay the discounted E-ZPass toll rates.^[24] Taxi drivers are not permitted to use cell phones while transporting passengers, even if they use a hands-free headset.

241 million passengers rode in New York taxis in 1999. The average cab fare in 2000 was $6; over $1 billion in fares were paid that year in total.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taxis in New York City

• Understanding 2006 Hybrid Car Tax Credits at HowStuffWorks
• New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
• Article on hossli.com about the designer of the new Taxi logo