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The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

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Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#31

Post by jcdavis »

nine_k wrote: post #22

From my experience, subway from Manhattan to JFK might be actually faster, let alone cheaper. Yellow cabs have fixed fare from anywhere in NYC to any city airport. This is written on each car. This is why, probably, they tend to refuse: this is not that profitable. Jumping in is best practice but not always possible. Cunning drivers would sometimes ask you where are you going before opening doors, though legally they…

Subway from manhattan is almost certainly not faster unless there is very heavy traffic (which of course is fairly common on weekdays). If you want to take transit, LIRR from Penn Station + Airtrain is generally the way to go, even if you have to take the subway to get there (except maybe from downtown, where its a wash)

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#32

Post by mrb »

king_magic wrote: post #14
rwhitman wrote: post #10

You have to get inside the cab before you tell them where you're going, they are legally required to take you once you are inside

In theory, sure. In reality, during the day in midtown (and particularly around rush hour), you're more likely going to find a cab that pulls up to you with its doors locked, and a driver who rolls down his window to ask you where you're going. Especially if you look like you're going to the airport. If I have to get to the airport in NYC I book a car, every single time. I hate dealing with cabbies' bullshit, and so…

They should build, at JFK, a taxi area only for people who want to go downtown NYC.

That way, all the taxis driving from downtown to JFK, know that they can easily find a corresponding clients for driving all the way back.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#33

Post by LaGrange »

raganwald wrote: post #17

Hacker News: Criticizes cab companies for using laws to keep Uber out, then criticizes cabbies for not following the letter of the law with respect to unprofitable fares. Which is it: Do we celebrate breaking laws? Complying with them? Or do we pick and choose the laws we respect?

It's probably more than one person.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#34

Post by tlrobinson »

Most people commenting here about how he should stop whining and suggesting he should get in the taxi before telling the driver his destination are missing the point.

Uber provides a better experience than taxis. If it didn't there wouldn't be any demand and you wouldn't see posts like this on a regular basis. The taxi industry needs to improve their service, or stop attempting to outlaw the competition and STFU.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#35

Post by halviti »

tlrobinson wrote: post #30
jeremymims wrote: post #20

New York has a solution for this. It's called a livery car (they're usually Lincoln Town Cars). This is especially prudent when you have a flight to catch. You call and they send someone at the appointed time. It's cheaper than Uber and the drivers are the same. Some have phone numbers you'll never forget: (212) 777-7777 and 866-666-6666.

Do they have mobile apps you can use to book them? Can you track their location on their way to pick you up?

Yes, they have a mobile app, it's called "phone".

You call them, give them an address and a time, it takes less than a minute.

I've never had one be late, and I can imagine a million better things to do with your time than watching a dot move on a map.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#36

Post by halviti »

nine_k wrote: post #27
jeremymims wrote: post #20

New York has a solution for this. It's called a livery car (they're usually Lincoln Town Cars). This is especially prudent when you have a flight to catch. You call and they send someone at the appointed time. It's cheaper than Uber and the drivers are the same. Some have phone numbers you'll never forget: (212) 777-7777 and 866-666-6666.

Sometimes you can even stop a livery car that is vacant, as you would a taxi. Be prepared to pay in cash :)

I do this all the time.

I estimate the cost of a cab fare in my head, then I flag down a livery car and offer them less than what a cab would cost.

Sometimes I have to barter a little if I'm shooting too low, but I'm rarely turned down.

It's a much more relaxing ride when you don't have to worry about a meter running, and cheaper too.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#37

Post by cullend »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #13

This is a common tourist mistake. Flag the taxi, and then get in the car, say hello, then tell the driver where you are going. Only tourists think they need permission to get in the car, and so the drivers will refuse them. Tourists also tend to request unprofitable routes, like going 15 blocks in Times Square. They are allowed to turn the off-duty light on, and to get one final fare going their return direction at t…

Also, most taxis DO all have a shift change at 3-5. Returning your car late incurs a $1-3/ minute charge (cars are shared). I'm not saying this is acceptable - just that the drivers would lose more money than gain by taking this sort of fair.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#38

Post by rdl »

The shift-change thing is my biggest problem with NYC taxis, but other than that, they seem vastly better than anywhere I've tried (except London).

Plural of anecdote is not data, but what for me is a representative experience in NYC:

I had to go from Brooklyn (after having lunch with some rap lyrics entrepreneurs at a famous steak house), to my midtown hotel to pick up my luggage, to JFK, all in 2h, to catch a flight. I was also somewhat intoxicated.

Hailing a cab on the street is a lot harder in Brooklyn than Manhattan, but I managed to do so (as I was walking to a subway station 20-30 blocks away). He said he was going off-shift, but would drive me close to his depot (just across the Williamsburg bridge) to change taxis. I did that, and the next driver (who it turns out knew a few people I knew who worked as translators in Afghanistan; he was waiting for an application to be an instructor at DLI) drove me to my hotel, but was also going off-shift, but called another taxi who was waiting for me at the hotel to take me to JFK. Total cost was within $10 (including tips) of just getting a single taxi from Brooklyn to midtown to JFK, and total time was maybe 3min longer.

I took about 25 taxi rides in NYC over 2 weeks, mainly midtown and downtown, and they were all polite, professional, competent, etc. I talked with them about Uber, the Square reader (which apparently was just a tiny trial), etc. This was during some kind of financial dispute they were having, so I asked them about that (mid-summer 2012).

In SF:

Call a taxi. They don't show up. Repeat 3x.

Hail a taxi on the street. Driver verbally harasses my companion.

Next taxi I take gets "lost" in downtown.

One of ~20 taxis clips a parked car, keeps driving. (I called CHP after I got out with his info)

I'd like Uber in NYC, but it is essential in SF.

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#39

Post by cududa »

adamjernst wrote: post #9

It is illegal for taxi drivers to refuse your fare depending on your destination. If their "Off Duty" light is not lit, just get in, then say your destination. If they protest, say you'll call 311 (and start taking a picture of their license). If the "Off Duty" light is on, just wave them on no matter where you're going.

A driver tried to overcharge me on the way to JFK, so my seasoned NY friend who was flying with me said very calmly. "That's fine. I work for Mayor Bloomberg's counsel on public transport. I'm happy to resolve this issue with him directly, if you're choosing to overcharge me."

...I've used this multiple times to assuage similar problems

Re: The Five NYC Taxi Drivers who Refused My Fare

#40

Post by baddox »

raganwald wrote: post #17

Hacker News: Criticizes cab companies for using laws to keep Uber out, then criticizes cabbies for not following the letter of the law with respect to unprofitable fares. Which is it: Do we celebrate breaking laws? Complying with them? Or do we pick and choose the laws we respect?

I think the point is that both situations are worse for the customer. The regulations which supposedly protect the customer (like cabs being required to take any fare) aren't followed, but the regulations that harm the customer (like trying to ban Uber and other competitors) are followed.
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