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Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

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Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#21

Post by goatforce5 »

Similar rules in London, UK. And, I suppose, most cities.

The standard way to hail a cab in London is to lean in the passenger window when the cab pulls up to you, tell 'em where you're going and then they unlock the doors and you get in.

A couple of times I had people say they weren't going that way, etc. Once I said "I know you have to take me!" but there's not a lot you can do when they say "feck off you cahnt" and drive off. By the time the next day rolls around it's just not worth the effort to file a complaint.

On the other hand, as many times as that happened, I had cab drivers say that they were on the way home, heading in the same direction as I was, and so they stopped the meter early and I got a discount. I also got meters stopped early a few times for showing them a totally awesome short cut near where I lived.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#22

Post by Timothee »

Apreche wrote: post #5

I am fully aware of this rule, and I have a strategy to deal with it. The last time I had trouble I was trying to get a ride from the Javits to Queens. Having a friend helped. First we would take a picture of the cab as it approached, getting the number on the roof and proof that he was on duty. What guys will do who refuse you, but know they aren't allowed to, is switch their on/off duty light. If you tell them you…

On your second point, I'd like to ask if that applies to gas stations as well. Because many of them display in big numbers a price that is reserved for cash, while a higher one (~10-15c more a gallon) for credit. Is it illegal?

On a related note, I also believe (no link or citation sorry) that there can't be a maximum on the amount you want to pay with credit. For example, car dealerships tend to say they can only accept up to a certain amount to be put on a credit card, even though the agreements with credit card companies say they can't do that.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#23

Post by BobbyH »

My experience is that if you do not look like a white yuppie, cabs won't even stop for you to refuse service, especially at night. I once grew a goatee that made me look Hispanic, and I couldn't hail a cab at night to save my life.

I was upset about this and even once filed a complaint with the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) after a cab slowed down, looked at me, then sped away to pick up a white guy down the street. However, for the complaint to result in a sanction, you have to show up at the TLC court to testify, or the complaint is tossed. I didn't want to spend a day in TLC court so I didn't follow up.

When it got warmer, I shaved my goatee and stopped wearing my leather jacket. Magically, I then got picked up every time. I was disgusted by this and now I take cabs only in extremis.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#24

Post by Hominem »

leviathant wrote: post #17
Apreche wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recommend people never take a non-yellow cab. They have far fewer regulations, so they can charge ludicrous amounts. Even if you negotiate a price beforehand, it might surprisingly change when you arrive.

Agreed. I took one of those black Towncars once, and the driver tried to charge me something absurd at the end of the rather short trip. I told him all I had was a twenty, didn't get any change. That was the first and last time I'll ever hail one of those.

Negotiate through the window before you get in, they have set prices based on "zones". Those towncars are roughly twice as expensive I find. I Don't tip those guys since it they are doing it without the dispatcher's knowledge so it's pure profit for them

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#25

Post by ary »

So I'll ask the obvious question as a person who has visited, but never lived in, NYC. Why is this a problem?

I've never had a problem getting a cab to take me where I want to go in the cities I've lived in nor the ones I've visited. The only downside I can see is if you're requesting somewhere that's remote and that would be difficult for the cab to find another fare on the return trip. NYC does not strike me as a place that would have this problem.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#26

Post by jim_h »

aonic wrote: post #2

Thanks for the tip, I see people getting refused for Queens/Bronx/Staten Island from Manhattan all the time.

I actually learned of this from my coworker. He filed a few complaints already since they refused to take him from Manhattan to Brooklyn. It's actually to a nice part of Brooklyn too.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#27

Post by jim_h »

BobbyH wrote: post #23

My experience is that if you do not look like a white yuppie, cabs won't even stop for you to refuse service, especially at night. I once grew a goatee that made me look Hispanic, and I couldn't hail a cab at night to save my life. I was upset about this and even once filed a complaint with the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) after a cab slowed down, looked at me, then sped away to pick up a white guy down the st…

I don't know when you filed your complaint. However, you can attend the hearing over the phone. You just call and everything is all set on the other end. The driver (and his lawyer) has to be present.

My coworker had his hearing over the phone a few weeks ago.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#28

Post by alanstorm »

dayjah wrote: post #4

Any idea why a cab driver would want to reject a journey? Is there some other bureaucracy that makes it hard for them to turn a profit if they abide by this? For example it is very common in England for "distance and a half" fares to be invoked when journeys are outside of a particular region. This is in place so that if a cab driver takes you to "Stixwich" they're not out of pocket on the drive back since there are…

It's about a New York City that's 25 years long gone, but this question, and thread, reminded of Ted Rall's recollections of driving a Cab in NYC during the early 80s

http://www.rall.com/longarticle_003.htm

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#29

Post by jim_h »

sebg wrote: post #7

Just because there are rules saying that something should happen, does not mean in reality that the thing will happen. Reasons why cab drivers could not pick you up: 1.) shift change in 15 minutes. So they can take you 15 minutes away but they can't drive an hour into Brooklyn and miss their shift change. 2.) Car maintenance, refueling. If the car is running low on fuel they can pick people up on short drives towards…

I believe the law is also to prevent discrimination.

How does one know the true reason a cab might refuse to take you? Sex? Race? Age? What if a cab took a white guy (non-threatening looking) to a location, but refused to take a black guy (also non-threatening looking) to the same location?

Yes, there are valid reasons like shift ending, etc, but perhaps they could have signs stating their hours.

Re: Did you know: In NYC, yellow cabs are required to take you anywhere in NYC.

#30

Post by gyardley »

Was it around 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon? Likely just shift change cab drought.

Around shift change, cab drivers have to get the cab back to the garage so the next cabbie can take over. If they don't get it back on time, there are repercussions. But cabbies like to maximize their working time, so they're happy to take fares going in the same general direction they're going.

You can file as many complaints as you want, but no cabbie is going to take you to the Bronx when they have to be in DUMBO in fifteen minutes. If this rule was 100% enforced, the alternative isn't more convenience, it's less convenience, since cabs around shift change wouldn't stop at all. At least this way people moving in the general direction of the garage get rides.

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