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New Yorkers aren't exactly known for a "sharing is caring" attitude, but cab riders across town may soon be forced to make room in the back seat for total strangers, if several new proposals are approved by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Today the TLC will meet to discuss and possibly vote on three pilot programs they say would help reduce congestion, make more cabs available, and pull in extra money for hacks. Under consideration:
- In a pilot program, 1,000 yellow cabs would be equipped with meters that could calculate two fares at once, allowing cabbies to stop en route and pick up additional passengers. The taxis would be retrofitted with electronic signs showing the neighborhoods where they're headed, and when a second rider hops in, the first rider would get a 50% discount on the rest of his or her (awkward? romantic?) journey.
- In the second proposal, several taxi stands would serve as group-ride pickup locations during the morning rush, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The cabs would travel in a designated corridor, say, from Penn Station up Sixth Avenue to 59th Street, and charge passengers a flat fare of $3 or $4 to be dropped off anywhere along the route.
- The third plan would set up dispatch centers for livery cars in areas with limited access to other forms of mass transportation. Dispatch centers could also be set up in "anticipation" of passengers at peak travel times and at popular destinations such as ferry terminals, bus terminals, and terminus of train and bus lines.
All fine ideas, but who gets to choose which channel to watch on the taxi TV? In a statement, TLC chairman Matthew Daus says the most important thing is that "using the same number of vehicles to serve more people is good for the environment, and passengers will pay less while drivers will earn more-it is a true win-win." According to the Times, the taxi stand pilot program could start as early as autumn, but the multi-meter group ride pilot, if approved, won't begin testing until next year because the new meters and signs have to be installed.
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This sounds like fun!
I already share my monthly with complete strangers.
I think it's a nice idea, but will they be able to execute it? I can imagine people skipping out on fares already...
Would you really be losing anything if that happened? The worst that could happen would be that you pay the full fare you would have paid traveling alone. Unless the detour for the other person's route added to that fare... so yeah, I guess that would suck. Never mind.
So, we're basically turning taxis into mass transit? Don't buses already travel along designated corridors and make stops for people along the way?
Exactly.
If they know there are areas that are poorly served by taxi service and that all the people are going to basically the same place -- why not put a bus stop there? It would use far less gas than a row of taxis.
Besides, if I've got to squeeze in next to a random stranger, I'd rather do it on a bus (normal) than in the back of a car (w-e-i-r-d).
if i am riding solo, do i get a vote on whether or not my driver picks up another fare?
because i vote no. if i'm springing for a cab, it's because i want to avoid squeezing next to smelly randos on the alternate methods of public transpo.
This works well in other cities where the taxis are dispatched centrally, and I can see it working well in places where there are long lines of folks waiting (airports, MSG).
Also, I always wondered why you can hail a cab by shouting "TAXI!" but you can't hail a taxi by yelling "CAB!"
Probably because the only people who hail a cab by shouting "TAXI" are cartoon characters.
And that guy in the 666-6666 commercial.
That guy in the 666 commercial has anger management issues.
777 you mean?
I've hailed cabs by yelling TAXI -- it's really effective. You should try it.
I don't really mind sharing a ride with a stranger (I've done it a couple of times before...it's not as weird as you'd think), but doesn't allowing taxis to stop along their routes kind of negate the whole advantage of taking a taxi? I'm not going to be too inclined to shell out extra for a cab if it's gonna stop several times before I reach my destination.
Can't this city leave anything alone? Let's retrofit a taxi with new meters and more electronic devices! Who pays the new drop off fare that bails out the scumbuckets at the MTA?
no way, dude. reboots are in!
batman? reboot!
star trek? reboot!
times square? reboot!
taxi cabs? REBOOT!
hey here is an idea....walking.
A rational response in the Gothamist comments section? begone with you sir! there is no place for your normal mode of thinking here.
he he....i like your name "WesleySnipesAlot"
This'll be great for the stick up guys. Not only can they rob the drivers they can rob the passengers as well. Also the other creeps, that'll know where the other passengers live.
Exactly...and since the city has set this up, I can't wait for the lawsuits that follow.
i once shared a cab with the hipster grifter. she gave me a hand job with her mouth.
Um. How about NO? I take cabs because I don't want to be crammed in with a bunch of other people. I take the subway when I want to smell some random stranger.
I ride in a cab because I want to hire a car and a driver to take me somewhere directly, in peace and quiet, without having to make small talk or share space.
If shared cabs become the norm, I'd be far less likely to take them. Even at half the cost -- it's just not worth it to me. Just imagine sitting there, wondering whether you were going to get to your destination in peace or whether your cabbie is going to suddenly stop and pick up:
1. Smelly Guy;
2. Chatty Cathy;
3. Old Lady (taking her dead cat to the vet);
4. Captain Crazy;
5. Religious Nut (running a "cab ministry" and wondering if you've ever heard the Good Word of Jesus Christ);
6. Moving Dude (with a ton of stuff that's going to take him 10 minutes to get into the trunk);
7. Hugh Jass (who squeeze his fat rolls through the door and right into your lap);
8. Suburban Street Tough (who wants to tell you about how he's makin' money, gettin' paid in his lawnmowing job in New Jersey); or
9. Well, any damned body -- since it's my cab!
This is a city of misanthropes, outcasts, and people I'd rather not smell. Cramming them into the back of a cab with me -- forget it!
Just wondering: are you including yourself as a misanthrope in your list?
Abso-freakin'-lutely.
oh good - just checkin' :)
All this retrofitting with new gadgets will drive up the price of a fare. Welcome to the $10 per 1/4 mile ride.
I think it's Bloomberg's master plan to do everything he can to get rid of the middle class.
This is already done in Jersey City & Hoboken and it blows. Forget about getting anywhere in a hurry.
all change is bad.
Horrible idea. Washington, DC used to do this and it was a total nightmare. I agree with #20 above, I'm paying for a solo and direct ride. The cost savings in no way make up for the delays and inconveniences of sharing, not to mention safety concerns. Awesome that the partition protects the cab driver, but not me from other passengers. As a young(ish) woman, it makes me uncomfortable to be trapped in a moving cab with a stranger. I don't want to rely on the driver for protection. I also would not want any random stranger in my cab late at night or knowing where I live.
Agreed--it was a complete nightmare in DC. And you had NO choice in the matter, either!
Though I do like the idea of the $3 or $4 flat fee to go to a set destination.
Drivers are villified for seeking comfort, convience, and privacy, why not those evil enough to seek the same in a taxi?
Do it but don't lower the fares which turns cabs into buses. Instead, upgrade the amenities and get rid of those goddamn TVs.
Proposal #2 (taxi stands specifically for group rides during rush hour) is the best one, because you agree to share a cab before getting in, and you won't have to worry about accidentally hailing a group-ride cab on the street.