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NYC taxi visualization

nyctaxi.herokuapp.com

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Re: NYC taxi visualization

#51

Post by thrownaway2424 »

oh_sigh wrote: post #33
maxmcd wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The route information between trips is just a guess. So he could have really just stopped for dinner or something.

Taxi drivers don't usually stop for dinner when on shift. The closest they will do is run into a bodega, or stop on the corner and have a streetfood vendor hand them something into the cab.

I've seen halal carts where the taxis line up down the block and a guy takes their order on the south end of the block and they pick it up at the north end, just like a drive-thru burger joint.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#52

Post by mbillie1 »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #50
oh_sigh wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most taxi drivers already know the right time/areas to go to get hailed, and to get the kind of hails they want(IE not to JFK or LGA, the bronx, most of queens/BK). Even though it is just tribal knowledge, I'd be really surprised if it wasn't largely accurate.

Why don't they want to get hailed to JFK?

It's a long drive (from Manhattan) and the airport rates are capped around ~$40 or so.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#53

Post by mbillie1 »

amwelles wrote: post #4

I was surprised by the amount of fares that just went a few blocks. Looks like it should have been pretty walkable in a lot of those cases.

Loads of tourists are terrified of walking anywhere in NYC both due to fear of crime and fear of getting lost, and thus take cabs for distances that probably don't warrant them.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#54

Post by thrownaway2424 »

mbillie1 wrote: post #52
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't they want to get hailed to JFK?

It's a long drive (from Manhattan) and the airport rates are capped around ~$40 or so.

Damn, I wish we had that in the Bay Area. I usually take Uber or another black car service from SFO because to Oakland in a taxi it's $90+ on the meter and lots of extra fees.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#55

Post by potatolicious »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #50
oh_sigh wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most taxi drivers already know the right time/areas to go to get hailed, and to get the kind of hails they want(IE not to JFK or LGA, the bronx, most of queens/BK). Even though it is just tribal knowledge, I'd be really surprised if it wasn't largely accurate.

Why don't they want to get hailed to JFK?

Long drive, capped rates as already mentioned. Also once there you cannot immediately pick up another passenger - you have to go to the central "taxi pool" where you get to line up with dozens/hundreds of other cabs for the privilege of picking up a fare.

So as a driver your choices are to wait forever in a line to pick up a fare from the airport, or beeline it back to Manhattan as quickly as you can with an empty car. Neither are great choices.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#56

Post by Mandelbug »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #49
ryanmarsh wrote: post #5

I was surprised at how inefficient some of the drivers' behavior was. I thought after dropping off a fare they would all immediately head to an area they knew of that might have a high likelihood of generating fares. Instead many of them seem to just wander around aimlessly looking for the next fare. edit: spelling / grammar

It's also the case that taxi drivers need to eat, use the toilet, do their shopping, see the sights, etc. They aren't robots, and they don't necessarily have to dash to the next customer in a mad scramble for survival. Imagine if somebody made a visualization of your workday and put it out in public. Would your manager say "he seems to just wander around aimlessly instead of efficiently moving from one piece of code…

The analogy is ok, but mostly fails because as a developer, we are not paid commission for each line of code written. Whereas taxi drivers have a very strong profit motive to act efficiently and quickly. I think your examples of why they would deviate from this believed behavior is pretty solid on its own.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#57

Post by mjmahone17 »

potatolicious wrote: post #55
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't they want to get hailed to JFK?

Long drive, capped rates as already mentioned. Also once there you cannot immediately pick up another passenger - you have to go to the central "taxi pool" where you get to line up with dozens/hundreds of other cabs for the privilege of picking up a fare. So as a driver your choices are to wait forever in a line to pick up a fare from the airport, or beeline it back to Manhattan as quickly as you can with an empty ca…

Although in the wee hours (between 1 and 6AM), getting a hail to JFK is not bad, because it only takes ~20 minutes to get there, and yields a $60 fare. But during rush hour, getting stuck going to JFK is the worst thing possible, as you lose ~2-3 hours of the best fare times.

Which is why you should use the AE/Penn Station train during rush hour (it'll be faster than a cab), or tip your cabbie very well (30%+), though it still ends up being sucky for them and stressful for you.

Re: NYC taxi visualization

#58

Post by mjmahone17 »

blaincate wrote: post #44
simplemind wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Small nit, but guessing this is crow's flight distance which doesn't equal path distance. Regardless, this still isn't surprising. Short rides happen all the time.

:-) this data is equal path as measured by odometer : I was lazy and did not use longitude/latitude for distance. The data itself has miles travelled. though a bit surprising : 45% of rides are single person rides. But then I wonder : what's surprising : is it low or is it high?

How is the data input on # of passengers? Could it be that it's just easier to hit "1 person" all the time regardless? Are there cabbies that always have the same #?
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