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Taking the Yellow Cab in NYC  E-mail
Written by Danielle Mansure   
Thursday, 04 November 2010 01:40

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The taxi cabs of New York City, with their distinctive yellow paint, are a widely recognized icon of the city. An exposure of yellow taxis in the Hollywood movies and in TV shows around the country, were instrumental for the consolidation of yellow taxis as being a key part of New York City, as they are easy to identify roaming the streets. And for over 100 years, more specifically starting in 1907, the first fuel-powered cabs circulated through the city, as NY taxis started to build their identities.

Since the Electric Era, which started around late 1890s and until now, people have been increasingly using public transportation. And ever since New York’s electric hansom cabs debuted as the first taxicab, it has stormed to be a successful transportation, since there are over 13,237 recognized Yellow cabs operating in the city today. Moreover, several changes have happened to the transportation and many of them will happen in the future, since around 48% of New Yorkers have their own cars, yet fewer than 30% use them to commute to work, as most finding public transportation cheaper and more convenient for that purpose.

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By the 1920s industrialists recognized the potential of the taxicab market. Automobile manufacturers like General Motors and the Ford Motor Company began operating fleets. The most successful manufacturer, however, was the Checkered Cab Manufacturing Company, founded by Morris Markin. Checker Cabs produced the large yellow and black taxis that became one of the most recognizable symbols of mid-20th century urban life. For many years Checker cabs were the most popular taxis in NYC. During the Great Depression, New York had as many as 30,000 cab drivers. With more drivers than passengers, cab drivers were working longer hours; additionally, there were concerns regarding the maintenance and mechanical integrity of the vehicles. And considering how to handle the situation, the city contemplated creating a taxi monopoly.

Over the years, many medallions once owned by individual drivers were sold to large taxi fleets. To preserve the opportunity for individual drivers to own and drive their own taxi, certain medallions were designated for owner-operators. About 29% of all taxis are owner operated, the rest are leased. In the 1960s New York City experienced many of the problems of social unrest that engulfed other American cities. As a result, a quickly growing industry of private livery services emerged. Unofficial drivers were barred from picking up people on the street, but they readily found business in under-served neighbourhoods. In 1967, New York City ordered all "medallion taxis" be painted yellow to help cut down on unofficial drivers and make official taxicabs more readily recognizable.

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Today’s private operate taxicabs companies in NYC are licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. According to their official website; The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), created in 1971, is the agency responsible for licensing and regulating New York City's medallion (yellow) taxicabs, for-hire vehicles (community-based liveries and black cars), commuter vans, paratransit vehicles (ambulettes) and certain luxury limousines.

The TLC licenses and regulates over 50,000 vehicles and approximately 100,000 drivers, performing safety and emissions inspections of the more than 13,000 medallion taxicabs three times each year, and also holds numerous hearings for violations of City and TLC rules and regulations, making it the most active taxi and limousine licensing regulatory agency in the United States.

According to an article from the New York Daily news website, the "taxi of†tomorrow" is coming - in 2014. New York City is looking for a uniform design for all taxicabs instead of mishmash of 16 makes and sizes that exist today. The new design will replace the city's current fleet, but will take five years to get on the road. The car company that comes up with the best design will win the rights to supply all of New York City's cab companies with cars for 10 years. There are 13,237 cabs on the road today, but the winning company will be asked to build 26,500.

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Taxi of tomorrow is a project from The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, on behalf of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which seeks upgrades to its existing taxi fleet and is proactively exploring vehicle possibilities that more appropriately reflect the needs of its diverse stakeholders – passengers, drivers, owners and NYC residents. Among the qualities envisioned for the Taxi of Tomorrow are: highest safety standards, superior passenger experience,†superior driver comfort and amenities, appropriate purchase price and on-going maintenance and repair costs, sustainability (minimized environmental impact throughout the vehicle’s life cycle), minimal physical footprint (with more useable interior room),†universal accessibility for all users with a goal of meeting ADA guidelines†(wheelchair accessible) and iconic design that will identify the new taxi with New York City.

Therefore, there is already an arduous race for the proposals of this project. Proposals from Japanese giant Nissan and virtually unknown Turkish manufacturer Karsan have a leg up in the competition. However, Ford and GM Companies are also believed to be in the race. Such makeover on the entire fleet is expected to take four to five years, and before the final array of features on the "Taxi of Tomorrow" are fixed, the agency will ask for public input.

See more at www.nydailynews.com and www.yellowcabnyctaxi.com.

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