[Update Below] That "Taxi of Tomorrow" that Mayor Bloomberg so happily showed off last month may not be hitting the streets as fast as Nissan and the TLC might hope. In the latest blow to the handicap inaccessible vehicle, thorn in Bloomberg's side Comptroller John Liu has written to the mayor making a strong argument that the city needs to rethink the contract or prepare to have it sent back by his office.
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![Chatty Cabbies Face Tough New Penalties For Cell Phone Use]()
Results tagged “taxioftomorrow”
Comptroller To Bloomberg: Make Cabs Wheelchair Accessible!
Handicap-Handicapped Taxi Of Tomorrow Meets The Press
Last night, Nissan and the city held a press conference to show off a model of the new Nissan NV200, A.K.A. The Taxi of Tomorrow. Wine was served, fancy snacks were passed, Nissan execs were schmoozing, Mayor Bloomberg talked and crowds of photographers rushed the single minivan as if it were Britney Spears shaving her head again. Still, despite being mentioned more than once, one group was physically absent from the affair: the handicapped. Though the space where the event was held has wheelchair access, the entrance used was up a steep flight of steps.
City: We Have "No Obligation" To Have Handicapped Cabs
The Department of Justice may think that the lack of wheelchair accessible cabs in the city is discriminatory against the handicapped but that is just because they don't understand. In court yesterday a lawyer for the city made the jaw-dropping argument that since the TLC doesn't actually deal with riders, it just licenses the cabs who deal with them, it has no obligation to serve the handicapped. No, really! "Your position is [that] no one has any responsibility, and it would be perfectly legal if there was not a single accessible taxi cab in New York City?" Judge George B. Daniels reportedly clarified yesterday. "You understand how extreme that sounds?"
Taxi Of Tomorrow Will Smell Like Roses
Okay, so, not everything is totally copacetic about the design of Nissan's Taxi of Tomorrow. But if you missed the chance to check out the prototype in person yesterday, you probably missed one feature that hasn't gotten nearly as much publicity as it should: the magical smell. Seriously.
See The "Taxi Of Tomorrow," Live And In Person
The Taxi of Tomorrow hasn't necessarily gotten a lot of love from Gothamist once the Karsan Kab was taken out of the running but what can you do? Come 2013, Nissan's NV200 will be flooding the city's streets (occasionally even with wheelchair access), so now is a good a time as any to get to know the old girl, eh? And for that, Nissan has an interactive model on display for one week, starting tomorrow, on the pedestrian plaza across from the Flatiron building.
Meet The MV-1 Taxi, The TLC's Attempt To Appease The Handicapped
David Yassky, the head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, firmly believes that the U.S. Attorney's office is wrong about New York's cabs being discriminatory against the handicapped, but just in case he wants the TLC to do more "to serve the needs of persons with disabilities." For instance, hey! They just approved a wheelchair accessible cab, for now.
DOJ: NYC Cabs Discriminate Against The Handicapped
You think it is hard getting a cab? Try catching one while in a wheelchair. It isn't easy, and despite the TLC making a big fuss about their "Taxi of the Tomorrow" competition, it isn't going to get better anytime soon. Of the three finalists for the title, the TLC managed to choose the two models that aren't handicap-accessible—a fact that the U.S. Attorney's office reiterated yesterday when it surprisingly came out in support of a lawsuit that argues the city's cabs violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. The U.S. Attorney has been investigating the issue since May.
City Approves Another Boring, Taxi Model That NYers Didn't Want
Wait, so the Taxi of Tomorrow will be...all of the options but the one New Yorkers wanted? Earlier this year, to much grumbling, the TLC picked Nissan to make its next generation fleet of taxis. But those won't hit the road until 2013 and many taxi fleet owners have said they don't want to be saddled with one model. So today the TLC approved Ford's "Taxi of Today," the Ford Connect, for use on our streets.
Do NYC Taxis Discriminate Against the Disabled?
The US Attorney's office has jumped into the fight over the Taxi of Tomorrow by opening an investigation into whether the lack of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs in New York City amounts to a violation of parts of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Though one of the initial goals of the Taxi of Tomorrow program was "universal accessibility for persons with disabilities" the TLC eventually settled on a Nissan model that is not wheelchair accessible (versus the Karsan design, which is), a development which irritated many.
Have You Seen The Six Lexus Cabbies Cruising Around Town?
For today's installment of Ridiculous Cab Stories, we present the six "elite" cabbies who tool around in customized Lexuses. What makes this entry different from previous contenders like the $51,000 Mercedes-Benz cab and the luxury motorcycle taxi service is that the Lexuses (Lexi?) are already on the streets, being driven by a motley crew of cabbies who are all drawn to the cars for its aura of prestige. But how long will they last?
Nobody Is Hailing The Taxi of Tomorrow
Yesterday the city announced that the Taxi of Tomorrow will be a bulky box from Nissan or, as one commenter put it, "more like the minivan of yesterday." Even before the announcement was made, fans of the design from Turkish automaker Karsan, the popular favorite, were grumbling (Bloomberg even reportedly had trouble showing enthusiasm for the Nissan offering at yesterday's announcement, acknowledging it looked like a soccer mom's cab). In response to the decision, not only did Marty Markowitz and Bill de Blasio ask Comptroller John Liu to investigate the whole process but assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner is calling on the Justice Department to see if the new vehicle violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Nissan Design Wins Taxi Of Tomorrow Sweepstakes, Marty Calls Foul
The Taxis of Tomorrow will be made by Nissan, the TLC is expected to announce today. Despite strong support from politicians, the public and the disabled, the popular design from Turkish carmaker Karsan is being scrapped in favor of the Nissan design, which is a variation of the Japanese automaker's NV200 minivan design. But even that might not happen! Before the decision has even been made official Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz are calling the whole process into question.
Turkish Taxi Of Tomorrow Rejected, Despite Markowitz Support
Over the weekend, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz became the latest to give support to Turkish Taxi of Tomorrow candidates Karsan, saying “I hope that city officials will seriously consider taking a ride with Karsan—we owe it to everyone in the city that seeks gainful employment,” he said at an event yesterday morning. But the Times reports that the TLC has rejected Karsan's design because a "review raised concerns about whether the Turkish company, untested in the American market, could reliably execute the high-concept product it had designed." However, the Ford and Nissan designs aren't faring much better.
Turkish Taxi Of Tomorrow Would Be Built in Brooklyn
The Taxi Of Tomorrow might be built in Brooklyn! Karsan, the Turkish manufacturer in the running to build New York's next generation of taxicabs, is now upping the ante (and changed its tune) by pledging to manufacture the wheelchair-accessible vehicles in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The new pledge makes the Karsan cab the only one of the three finalists which would be built in America (it had previously said it would build them in Turkey).
New Bill Could Make Wheelchair Cab The Taxi Of Tomorrow
As they've advertised, the Karsan design for the city's "Taxi of Tomorrow" competition is the only design that is wheelchair accessible. And if a new bill from the State Assembly gets passed, it could end up being the only car in the running. The new bill, drafted by Assemblyman Micah Kellner (D-Manhattan), would require all cabs on the streets after October 1st, 2014 to be wheelchair accessible. Kellner said, "Everyone accuses the state Legislature of being dysfunctional, but what is truly dysfunctional is the fact that the mayor and the City Council have had 11 years to make New York City's taxi fleet 100% accessible, and they have done next to nothing."
Taxi Drivers Want Ford's "Taxi Of Tomorrow" On The Roads
Turkish company Karsan may have designed the people's choice in the city's "Taxi of Tomorrow" competition, but yellow taxi fleet owners want a different Turkish-made car on the road. The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade reportedly told District Court Judge Paul Crotty that they want to file a motion asking the city to approve the Ford Transit Connect car for use as a taxi. Because otherwise they'll be stuck with hybrid cars that can't take life on the road like a man!
Karsan Taxi of Tomorrow Is The People's Choice
Last week the TLC released its Taxi of Tomorrow survey [pdf] and in our excitement over people's mutual hatred of Taxi TV we let slip one interesting development. New Yorkers love the "Taxi of Tomorrow" design from Turkish manufacturer Karsan (y'know, the one with the glass roof). 65.5% of responders liked or loved the airy design versus 38% for the Ford design and 42.4 for the Nissan look. When the TLC makes its final decision the winner will have exclusive selling rights to the NYC taxi market for ten years. Meanwhile, Karsan's stock price is doing quite nicely.
Survey Says: Cab Riders HATE Taxi TV
According to a recently-released survey [pdf] by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the second biggest criticism from cab riders is about the Taxi TV, which automatically turns on in the back seat of cabs and, in some cases, never shut off. Only the cost of cab fares is disliked more than Taxi TV—36.8% of respondents cited the fare as their biggest beef, while 31.3% said those annoying TVs were the worst. And among the Taxi TV critics you'll find none other than TLC Chairman David S. Yassky.
Karsan's Taxi of Tomorrow Has Iowa Senator's Support
The Karsan design for the Taxi of Tomorrow gained a big fan yesterday when Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa and original sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act) wrote a letter to Bloomberg urging the city to pick a "fully accessible" cab as such a choice "would represent a historic step forward in advancing the cause of disability rights in the U.S. and around the world." The only model of the three that fits that description is Karsan's, which includes ramps on both sides and room for a wheelchair. The Taxi of Tomorrow winner will have exclusive selling rights to the NYC taxi market for ten years.
Video: Karsan's Take on the Taxi of Tomorrow
Karsan, the Turkish car company in the running to build the Taxi of Tomorrow, is taking this competition seriously. Though the city's poll between the three is closed, Karsan keeps putting out more info about its intriguing take on those yellow cars (which they say is " the only model that fully conforms to the requirements set forth by the mayor." In the past month they've put four CGI videos onto YouTube, one that shows just how versatile their vehicle is, and three that show off the cab's tourist-happy glass roof. And we aren't complaining!
TLC May Create Dispatch System For Disabled Riders
After learning that the city was paying around $172 a ride for a pilot program that let people in wheelchairs call for yellow cabs, the Daily News reports that the TLC may be looking to outsource the control of their 240 accessible yellow cabs and two dozen accessible vans. The TLC says, "We believe such a dispatch system is an achievable goal that would materially improve transportation options for wheelchair users in lieu of a fully wheelchair-accessible taxicab fleet."
Will Wheelchair Users Ride In The Taxi of Tomorrow?
New Yorkers are presumably eagerly anticipating the outcome of the Taxi of Tomorrow competition, which will introduce a new, "iconic" taxi to the TLC fleet. The Taxi of Tomorrow survey says, "One major goal of the Taxi of Tomorrow project is universal accessibility for persons with disabilities," but according to a report from the TLC, wheelchair users are costing the Commission a pretty penny. $172 per ride, to be exact.
Ford Represents America In Taxi Of Tomorrow Competition
In a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg announced that Ford is joining Nissan and Turkish manufacturers Karsan as the three finalists in designing the "Taxi of Tomorrow," which will be "the next New York City taxicab (subject to constant improvements and enhancements) for the next ten years." Bloomberg said, "While the City has long set the standards for our taxis - including working to make our vehicles more fuel efficient - the City has never before worked with the auto industry to design one taxicab specifically for New York City, until now. We want New Yorkers to take part in this process and tell us the features they want to see in the Taxi of Tomorrow."
Taxis Of Tomorrow May Be Turkish
It's not quite the UniCab, but it's close. According to the Daily News, two manufacturers are at the top of the competition to design the city's new fleet: Nissan and Turkish company Karsan. And while Nissan could have us riding in "vanettes," Karsan exec Jean Nahu bragged to the Post, "We have produced the only model that fully conforms to the requirements set forth by the mayor."
Taxi Of Tomorrow: The UniCab?
The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission may have announced its Taxi of Tomorrow search years ago, but they've only just launched a new website for the project. The site was designed in hopes of connecting those interested in participating with some more details, such as the below requirements:
How Do You See The Taxi of Tomorrow?
Checker cabs are a thing of the past, so what does the taxi of tomorrow look like? Well, maybe you can have a say...
Chatty Cabbies Face Tough New Penalties For Cell Phone Use
It's actually against the rules for cab drivers to use cell phones while driving—even hands-free. But the restriction is routinely shrugged off, so yesterday the Taxi and Limousine Commission Thursday unanimously approved more severe penalties for scofflaws. Hacks who yak will now face fines, a 30-day suspension for two violations and loss of license for three violations in 15 months. The previous rule, passed in 1999, only banned talking on cellphones, but the new restrictions also ban the use of any technology capable of making non-emergency phone calls or texting.
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