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September 6, 2007

Hanging Your Brothers Out To Dry

Last night, I tried to hail a cab at one point. It was past midnight. Maybe 1230. And the guy had his light on, but asked me where I was going. I said East Village and he said, $15.

I walked on. Because a cab from Chelsea to the East Village shouldn’t be much more than $10 and often is below ten.

I wondered if this guy was thinking this was his way in participating in the cab strike(for those clueless in NYC or unawares in other parts of the world, there is a cab strike right now). Or if he saw this a way to gauge Joe Public while the strike was on.

Either way, it pissed me off. And makes me root for the GPS system. I should have just gotten in the cab. By law, they have to take you where you want to go then. If it’s in Metro NYC.

When I used to live in Queens, and particularly out in Flushing, Queens, this was a known trick to combat the known trick of cabbies. Which is asking you where you are going and driving away if you say Queens or Brooklyn or god forbid Staten Island. (You will hardly ever be able to convince a cab to go to Staten Island.)

So that’s why you gotta just hop in. Don’t take no for an answer. I wonder if New York Hack will weigh in on this business…

Comments

  1. garrett

    I believe cabs are on a zone system during the strike, so prices are higher, especially if you go to the next zone.

  2. Nate

    aha! you’re right. still—sucks. DC has the zone system and it blows. also, New York Hack posted an op ed she wrote. it is good. why aren’t hey making this GPS able to show directions? that doesn’t make any sense. and why does it cost so much money?($4000!)

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