# Pandemic threatens New York's iconic yellow taxis



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pandemic-threatens-yorks-iconic-yellow-015622715.html
[HEADING=2]Pandemic threatens New York's iconic yellow taxis[/HEADING]














































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[HEADING=2]Pandemic threatens New York's iconic yellow taxis[/HEADING]
Yellow cabs on their way to block New York's Brooklyn Bridge to demand the city helps with declining fares on February 10, 2021
Catherine TRIOMPHE
Sun, February 14, 2021, 8:56 PM

They were omnipresent on the streets of New York day and night, as emblematic of the Big Apple as the Empire State Building or Yankees caps. But the pandemic has made yellow taxis scarce and facing an uncertain future.
On a February morning in a parking lot near La Guardia Airport, a few dozen of the yellow cabs patiently queue in the freezing cold to catch a fare from one of the terminals.
"This lot used to be full with hundreds of cabs and even a line outside," says 65-year-old Joey Olivo, recalling the days before coronavirus.
"Now there is only about 50 and you wait two hours, when before you'd wait 20 minutes," adds Olivo, a taxi driver for three decades.
- ADVERTISEMENT -

Widespread working from home, school closures and no tourists means rides have plummeted for Olivo, as they have for all of New York's cabbies.
"It's been pretty bad. My earnings dropped 80 percent. I went from making maybe $1,000 a week to making two or 300 dollars a week," he told AFP.
Olivo, who lives in Brooklyn, is trying to put a brave face on his situation, joking that he is lucky his wife "makes good money" as a nurse, otherwise "I would have had a rope around my neck."
- 'Free fall' -
New York taxi drivers, most of whom are first-generation immigrants, were once able to make $7,000 a month or more if they worked long hours seven days a week.
Competition from Uber, Lyft and other vehicle-for-hire firms had already drastically dented their income, but with the pandemic it is in "free fall," says Richard Chow, a 62-year-old taxi driver originally from Myanmar.
Chow is not feeling the press as much as most, because he bought his license, called a "medallion" in New York, for $410,000 in 2006.
In the years that followed, medallion prices soared, inflated by a nexus of bankers, investors and lawyers.
In 2009, his younger brother Kenny Chow paid $750,000 for his license. In 2014, the cost of medallion reached $1 million.
The arrival of thousands of new drivers working for Uber and others has caused the medallion bubble to burst and condemned thousands of cabbies who had bought medallions at a high cost on credit to fall into debt or bankruptcy.
Kenny Chow and at least seven other drivers, including of black cars and limousines, committed suicide in 2018, underscoring a dire situation that has been worsened by the pandemic.
"The pandemic has just been devastating," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the Taxi Workers Alliance.
"Before the pandemic, ridership had been down by 50 percent. Since the pandemic, it's down closer to 90 percent," she told AFP.
"The parts of the city that are the most deserted are the parts of Manhattan where drivers depend on in order to earn their living, and the airports," Desai added.
Hence the scarcity of yellow taxis. Out of some 13,000 licenses, only about 5,000 taxis are running regularly at the moment, according to the union.
Some 7,000 others aren't even leaving their garages. According to William Pierre, a driver from Haiti, it is no longer profitable.
He continues to drive even though his daily earnings barely exceed $100 to $150, which he shares 50/50 with the company that leases the car to him.
"I don't want to stay home. I want to be out there to feed my family," he says.
So could the yellow taxis, which replaced checkered-striped cabs in the 1960s, actually disappear?
- 'Cultural icon' -
Olivo and Pierre believe business will pick up eventually, even though they agree it will never be the same again.
Desai fears yellow cabs "will slowly phase out" if the city government does not erase drivers' debts.
Her union is stepping up protests and dozens of drivers briefly blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday.
"You know you are in NYC when you see that yellow," says Desai, adding that the taxis are famous the world over.
"It's a cultural icon... a 24-hour service that is part of the economic, social and cultural fabric of our beautiful city."
New York's Democratic mayor, Bill de Blasio, has promised to help the taxi drivers provided the city, economically ravaged by the pandemic, is bailed out by the federal government.
"If we can get the kind of stimulus support we deserve. I think it opens the door to coming up with a solution to help taxi drivers and families who have suffered so much," he said on Wednesday.
cat/pdh/dw
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## W00dbutcher (Jan 14, 2019)

Another Uber Driver said:


> If we can get the kind of stimulus support we deserve. I think it opens the door to coming up with a solution to help taxi drivers and families who have suffered so much,"


So... Are they not getting the Same stim package as every other rideshare/independent contractor gets?

Funny thing is they never paid into the system to get help.

One day the free money gravy train will stop....


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## teh744 (Apr 14, 2018)

W00dbutcher said:


> One day the free money gravy train will stop....


Yes it will.


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## Uberdriver2710 (Jul 15, 2015)

teh744 said:


> Yes it will.


Only because the politicians would rather keep the money for themselves.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

The userous interest rates and sky high "former" valuations of taxi plates is what is doing it. 

Every corporation and government entity is using Covid as an excuse for their bullshit and screwing us over.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Give it a few years and everyone will actually be able to afford a taxi medallion.

Why pay interest on a medallion loan when you can just stop paying get it repossessed and buy another one for less than a monthly payment.

It's probably getting close to that soon.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

There's a very real possibility that the taxpayers of NY are gonna be stuck bailing out the medallion owners.

After the bailout, the taxi market should be thrown open to all who are willing to drive a taxi.

If traffic issues prevents a totally open system, the system should remain as open as possible.

As a last resort, a cap on the number of permits and taxis as well as a lottery system would be implemented, open to all who are willing to drive a taxi and held no less than yearly, and depending on traffic, additional lotteries could be held at any time.

Traffic patterns would be monitored monthly, and if there are any signs that traffic is easing, additional lotteries would be mandated. If traffic remains tolerable for 6 months, the caps should be lifted.

Under NO circumstances should permits be transferrable. That means leasing, selling, trading, or sharing the permits is PROHIBITED.

Crony capitalism, misguided socialism, and the NYC government's desire for easy money created this mess, and it should never be allowed to occur again.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

W00dbutcher said:


> One day the free money gravy train will stop....





teh744 said:


> Yes it will.


And when it does, we'll all be hungry.
Research Venezuela ... the richest country in So America twenty years ago. Hospitals, world class restaurants, colleges, stores stocked with merchandise.
Now? People have eaten the zoo animals and pets. Diabetics are dying because they can't get insulin.

Free money.
Yup.
They did it. The people there got a lot of free gov't cheese; for quite a while. Then it ran out.

But, it can't happen to us.
Right?


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

UberBastid said:


> And when it does, we'll all be hungry.
> Research Venezuela ... the richest country in So America twenty years ago. Hospitals, world class restaurants, colleges, stores stocked with merchandise.
> Now? People have eaten the zoo animals and pets. Diabetics are dying because they can't get insulin.
> 
> ...


We're not Venezuela.

Unlike the US, Venezuela has always put too many of their eggs in the oil basket, and when the price drops, it causes serious problems for the Venezuelan economy.

The US economy is much more diversified.

I addition, there's been coups and dictatorships over the years.

Their middle class has never been anywhere near as large as ours.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Another Uber Driver said:


> https://www.yahoo.com/news/pandemic-threatens-yorks-iconic-yellow-015622715.html
> [HEADING=2]Pandemic threatens New York's iconic yellow taxis[/HEADING]
> 
> 
> ...


As damaging as the pandemic has been to us NYers, the state and city government has been much worse. Crime is returning to 70's and 80's levels and the Governor and the Mayor seem to be in competition as to who can give the most money away and who can "tax the rich" more. Manhattan is emptying out at a pace not seen in decades.

The State/City is talking about a new "stock trade" tax. Under the proposal every stock trade will be subject to state/local tax. The President of the stock exchange has already informed them if this is implemented the stock exchange is leaving New York. Not an idle threat, they almost left a few years ago. If that happens you won't ever need many taxis again. Goodby taxi drivers.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Nats121 said:


> The US economy is much more diversified.


Yup, it will take longer ... unless China helps us along.


Nats121 said:


> there's been coups and dictatorships over the years.


and THAT can't happen here. Right?


Nats121 said:


> middle class has never been anywhere near as large as ours.


and ours has never been as small and impotent as it is now, and the trend is intensifying.

Jeeze, I almost forgot: We gonna be ok. Joe is here now. We are going to be just fine.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Seamus said:


> The State/City is talking about a new "stock trade" tax.


In Maryland, Gubberner Owe'Malady had the :Legislature pass a Rain Tax,

The state finally had to cancel it.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

UberBastid said:


> Yup, it will take longer ... unless China helps us along.


China's having their problems as well.


UberBastid said:


> and THAT can't happen here. Right?


There hasn't been one. If you and the Trumpers claim otherwise, prove it.

So far nothing but crickets chirping.


UberBastid said:


> and ours has never been as small and impotent as it is now, and the trend is intensifying.


Struggles and all we still have a large middle class.

High immigration rates from the Third World need to be reduced and our borders need to be secured.

The HB-1 visa program needs to be reigned in.

Stop rewarding companies for moving overseas.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Nats121 said:


> If you and the Trumpers claim otherwise, prove it.


a coup? Trumpers claim it? I thought they trying to deny it ... but, whatever.
Point is, impossible to happen here, right?



Nats121 said:


> High immigration rates from the Third World need to be reduced and our borders need to be secured.
> The HB-1 visa program needs to be reigned in.
> Stop rewarding companies for moving overseas.


Oh, I see ... you ARE a Trumpster.
Ok.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

UberBastid said:


> a coup? Trumpers claim it? I thought they trying to deny it ... but, whatever.
> Point is, impossible to happen here, right?


The Trumpsters claim the election was stolen. Many of them have called it a coup. I say prove it, which they have failed miserably to do.


UberBastid said:


> Oh, I see ... you ARE a Trumpster.
> Ok.


While I agree with him on some issues I believe he's unfit for public office. He displayed his unfitness during the post election period culminating with the Capitol riot.


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## ConkeyCrack (Nov 19, 2019)

The monopoly is over for the Yellow Cabs. They had a helluva run but now you have plenty of ants who are willing to drive people around for 1980s rates. These drivers need to get out now and try to get a "regular job" because it's only gonna get worse...


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Another Uber Driver said:


> https://www.yahoo.com/news/pandemic-threatens-yorks-iconic-yellow-015622715.html
> [HEADING=2]Pandemic threatens New York's iconic yellow taxis[/HEADING]
> 
> 
> ...


DAMN SHAME.



Uberdriver2710 said:


> Only because the politicians would rather keep the money for themselves.


I was Resisting . . . 
Trying not to go there . . .










Another Uber Driver said:


> In Maryland, Gubberner Owe'Malady had the :Legislature pass a Rain Tax,
> 
> The state finally had to cancel it.


Agenda 21


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

ConkeyCrack said:


> The monopoly is over for the Yellow Cabs. They had a helluva run but now you have plenty of ants who are willing to drive people around for 1980s rates. These drivers need to get out now and try to get a "regular job" because it's only gonna get worse...


In NYC the "ants" are paid $1.11 per mile and $.0495 per minute.

The $1.11 per mile is on the low side but there's nothing wrong with 49.5 cents per minute.

Unlike taxis, the 49.5 meter ALWAYS runs. In taxis the per minute "meter" shuts off at speeds higher than 10mph.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Nats121 said:


> While I agree with him on some issues I believe he's unfit for public office. He displayed his unfitness during the post election period culminating with the Capitol riot.


Wow. I agree with that.
Never thought of it that way, but now that you say it ...


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## cumonohito (Feb 13, 2018)

The market for taxis, yellow, red, black, etc. diminished when they failed to adjust. The fare price was not always the same no matter what day/time you took. Took time to accept credit cards, wait time. Rideshare came along and proved that medallions where not needed, no money changed hands, contactless payment, upfront pricing. Ants are willing to drive their cars to the ground. There is still a market for taxis, as most hotels will always have a line waiting outside, but people are adjusting to rideshare. Taxi drivers need to adjust again and perhaps change their ways. Get another line of work, bail on their medallions.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Nats121 said:


> There's a very real possibility that the taxpayers of NY are gonna be stuck bailing out the medallion owners.
> 
> After the bailout, the taxi market should be thrown open to all who are willing to drive a taxi.
> 
> ...


Yeah the taxpayers are more than likely going to have to bail out the medallion owners.

The writing on the wall has been there since they let uber start operating while simultaneously selling medallions for over 3/4 of a million bucks.

They can't sell medallions for close to a million than blame it on the geniuses who bought them when their own policies lead to the destruction of the medallion.



cumonohito said:


> The market for taxis, yellow, red, black, etc. diminished when they failed to adjust. The fare price was not always the same no matter what day/time you took. Took time to accept credit cards, wait time. Rideshare came along and proved that medallions where not needed, no money changed hands, contactless payment, upfront pricing. Ants are willing to drive their cars to the ground. There is still a market for taxis, as most hotels will always have a line waiting outside, but people are adjusting to rideshare. Taxi drivers need to adjust again and perhaps change their ways. Get another line of work, bail on their medallions.


yeah except for the little fact that uber has pushed pay down so far that going from uber to driving a cab in my town is still an improvement versus doing uber.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Yeah the taxpayers are more than likely going to have to bail out the medallion owners.
> 
> They can't sell medallions for close to a million than blame it on the geniuses who bought them when their own policies lead to the destruction of the medallion.


The NYC govt put the taxpayers on the hook when they decided that auctioning off medallions was an easy way to make quick money.

Creating the medallion system was bad enough, NYC made it even worse by allowing them to be transferrable. That turned them into an "investment" rather than simply a permit to operate on the city's roads. The result was that low income people had virtually no chance to own their own cabs.



Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> The writing on the wall has been there since they let uber start operating while simultaneously selling medallions for over 3/4 of a million bucks.


The NYC govt didn't want to let Uber operate in NYC but the public demand was overwhelming.

There weren't enough taxis on rainy days and other times of high demand and most taxi drivers refused to work outside of Manhattan. All of this and more created a huge market for an alternative, which turned out to be rideshare.


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## Diamondraider (Mar 13, 2017)

Nats121 said:


> We're not Venezuela.
> 
> Unlike the US, Venezuela has always put too many of their eggs in the oil basket, and when the price drops, it causes serious problems for the Venezuelan economy.
> 
> ...


The US is a service economy and is MORE susceptible to problems stemming from the Free Cheese Train.

at least Venezuela can attract customers for a real resource.


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## ConkeyCrack (Nov 19, 2019)

Nats121 said:


> In NYC the "ants" are paid $1.11 per mile and $.0495 per minute.
> 
> The $1.11 per mile is on the low side but there's nothing wrong with 49.5 cents per minute.
> 
> Unlike taxis, the 49.5 meter ALWAYS runs. In taxis the per minute "meter" shuts off at speeds higher than 10mph.


That's nothing in comparison to what the yellow cabbies make in NYC. I believe they make close to $2 a mile


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

cumonohito said:


> The market for taxis, yellow, red, black, etc. diminished when they failed to adjust. Took time to accept *credit cards*.


(emphasis added)

In my market, had the cabs accepted plastic, Uber and Lyft would not be where they are now. This was the biggest complaint on the eve of the appearance of Uber. In my market, Uber Black appeared first. During surges, people were paying six and seven times the cab fare just to use a card.

I started to accept plastic in 1998. I simply shopped around until I found a wireless provider that would do business with me. It was amazing how many more customers I got. The better jobs wanted to use plastic. I could thumb my nose at crooked hotel doormen who wanted something for those jobs. The second Uber here was Uber Taxi. The users were so happy that they could use a card and not have to pay limousine rates. Uber Taxi launched here February, 2013. The Taxicab Commission did not require plastic acceptance until October of that year. In reality, I am not sure that the government can mandate acceptance of anything other than legal tender except in war time. Still, given that I have accepted plastic since 1998, I would look pretty silly if I tried to sue over it.



cumonohito said:


> Rideshare came along and proved that medallions where not needed, no money changed hands,


The reason that medallions were "not needed" was precisely because money did change hands.



cumonohito said:


> upfront pricing.


That did not come until later.



cumonohito said:


> Taxi drivers need to adjust again and perhaps change their ways.


We have applications. although I will give brickbats to their providers, as they refuse to spend on advertising. I even throw brickbats at Uber, as it has not promoted Uber Taxi in comparison to its other levels of service.

We accept plastic, although drivers' balking at it still is a problem. Those drivers play right into the hands of the TNC s when they balk at the plastic.



Nats121 said:


> The NYC govt didn't want to let Uber operate in NYC but the public demand*payoff offered* was overwhelming


FIFY



Nats121 said:


> .taxi drivers refused to work outside of Manhattan.


When the applications, UberT, Hail-O and Way2Ride, showed up, the New York cab drivers all remarked that they never had any idea that those customers were out there.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Another Uber Driver said:


> When the applications, UberT, Hail-O and Way2Ride, showed up, the New York cab drivers all remarked that they never had any idea that those customers were out there.


HA HA Yeah right! :roflmao:. They didn't want to leave Manhattan for the same reason most Uber and Lyft drivers didn't want to leave Manhattan! :thumbup:


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## ABQuber (Jan 30, 2019)

Good thing pay phones couldn’t uproot themselves and block roads and such when cell phones got affordable.


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## cumonohito (Feb 13, 2018)

ABQuber said:


> Good thing pay phones couldn't uproot themselves and block roads and such when cell phones got affordable.


So true, shows how a threat rideshare was to taxi. They had a good thing going, but didn't progress with the times, until something better came along and disrupted their monopoly. For all the criticism that Uber/Lyft gets, they at least somewhat broke the taxi monopoly, provided transportation to underserved communities, standardized rates based on destination, gave people an opportunity to get a side gig (lets leave the payment part for another topic), and forced others to get with the times.


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

Uberdriver2710 said:


> Only because the politicians would rather keep the money for themselves.


Chuck Schumer makes my blood boil, look at that greedy bastid w all that money


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Irishjohn831 said:


> Chuck Schumer makes my blood boil, look at that greedy bastid w all that money


Yea, I hear he has a big schlong too ... does that make you even _more_ jealous?

(I'd rather be a greedy bastid than an Uber Bastid.)


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

UberBastid said:


> Yea, I hear he has a big schlong too ... does that make you even _more_ jealous?
> 
> (I'd rather be a greedy bastid than an Uber Bastid.)


Ewww, you ask people about Chuck shumers schlong ? G to the Ross


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Irishjohn831 said:


> Ewww, you ask people about Chuck shumers schlong ? G to the Ross


We had a paramour in common at one time.
She told me that he was 'impressive'.
Pillow talk, you know ...


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## Uberdriver2710 (Jul 15, 2015)

Irishjohn831 said:


> Chuck Schumer makes my blood boil, look at that greedy bastid w all that money


he a real baseturd :roflmao:


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Nats121 said:


> The NYC govt put the taxpayers on the hook when they decided that auctioning off medallions was an easy way to make quick money.


Yup and the payback is going go be a ***** when they decide to buy out the medallion owners. (or the owners with the big bucks successfully sue the city/state for torpedoing their "investment"

At peak the NYC taxi medallions collectivly were worth "billions" not even joking.

Buying out the NYC taxi medallions is going to cost a lot, probobly a lot more than the city can afford.

And the funny shit?

People found loopholes to "rent" out their uber "not medallions" the same way taxi medallions get rented.

If you people think that the uber permits arn't going to do the exact same shit that the taxi medallions did you have zero sense at all.

And for the record they HAD to enforce a limit to the uber drivers in NYC because there was way too many of them blocking up traffic ect. The same reason taxi medallions came into existence in the first place.

Frankly what they could/should do is combine the taxi/uber medallions into one thing and make every uber driver pay $50,000- $100,000 for a medallion. Far from every active uber driver in NYC would buy into this insanity and it would cut the supply of medallions way back further increasing their value.

The full timers would get financing and it would prop up the taxi medallions (by making them the exact same thing as an uber medallion)

That's just one solution I came up with. There has to be a few more if they actually thought about it for a second.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Seamus said:


> HA HA Yeah right!


I talked to a number of them. This is what they told me.

Conversely, when I lived in the East Bronx, I was the only one that I knew who could step out onto East Tremont and hail a cab. Usually, I had a suitcase, so that did not hurt. The driver had a three out of four chance of getting a good ride:

1. If I were going to Idlewild, it was an easy trip that went on the meter, not a flat rate and he could get on line at Idlewild.
2. If I were going to LaGuardia, it was not that great a payoff, but it was better than nothing and, again, he could get on line there.
3. If I were going to Penn, Grand Central or Port Authority, that was where the action was, anyhow, plus he got paid to go there.

The only way that he got burned was if I went to Newark. At the time, there was no premium on a trip to Newark. I hated that airport (and still do), anyhow. If I had to get a New York cab there, I tipped well.

Still, you could not get a cab in the boroughs most of the time. When I lived at 86th and 162nd, you were not going to find one even on Cross Bay.

When I lived on 241st and Katonah, we used to walk the block and half into Yonkers on McClean Avenue and catch a Yonkers cab that was dropping off someone. In that era, several people told me that the Yonkers cabs were not supposed to take street hails; you had to call. I never had one turn me down.

Of course, usually, I rode the subway like everyone else.

Another funny thing was that about an hour before turn in time, you could stand on a corner in Manhattan and yell "QUEENS!" and the drivers would be climbing all over each other and coming out of the manholes to get you. In that era, half of the cab bases were in Ozone Park. While i lived on the other side of the race track, a fare to my home and a short ride empty to the other side of the race track was better than deadheading out there from Manahattan.


Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> People found loopholes to "rent" out their uber "not medallions" the same way taxi medallions get rented.


In two of the Maryland suburbs, here, this is what people are doing with the cabs and have been doing it for years. It is almost impossible to get a permit for a vehicle in your name in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The permits are non-transferable. Most of them are held by corporations. What happens is that whoever owns the corporations rents out the permits to the drivers. Instead of transferring the permits, the owners transfer the corporations. Successor or merged corporations can acquire the permits, however.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Buying out the NYC taxi medallions is going to cost a lot, probobly a lot more than the city can afford.


The NYC govt isn't gonna risk bankruptcy to pay for a bailout. Some kind of compromise settlement in combination with state and possibly federal aid will be utilized if need be.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Nats121 said:


> The NYC govt isn't gonna risk bankruptcy to pay for a bailout. Some kind of compromise settlement in combination with state and possibly federal aid will be utilized if need be.


No, hell no.
NYC won't pay it's own bills.
They will Nationalize their insane debt .. so we can all pay it.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

UberBastid said:


> No, hell no.
> NYC won't pay it's own bills.
> They will Nationalize their insane debt .. so we can all pay it.


NYC can't nationalize anything without the consent of the feds.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

Nats121 said:


> NYC can't nationalize anything without the consent of the feds.


Right.
LoL 'consent of the feds'

It'll happen.
It's already happening.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

ConkeyCrack said:


> That's nothing in comparison to what the yellow cabbies make in NYC. I believe they make close to $2 a mile


The pay gap between NYC Uber drivers and taxis isn't as large as you think...

NYC taxi drivers are paid $2.50 Base Fare, $2.50 Per Mile, and $0.50 Per Minute @ less than 12mph

NYC Uber drivers are paid $0.00 Base Fare, $1.11 Per Mile, $0.50 Per Minute for EVERY minute of the trip, and a Minimum Fare of $7.30

While it's true that NYC cabbies get a $2.50 Base Fare vs. Zero for Uber drivers and $2.50 per mile vs $1.11 for Uber drivers, cabbies are paid ZERO per minute when the cab is moving faster than 12mph. Uber drivers are paid $0.50 Per Minute REGARDLESS of the speed of the vehicle.

In addition, the $7.30 Minimum Fare vs ZERO Minimum Fare for cabbies puts Uber drivers AHEAD of cabbies on SHORT TRIPS.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Nats121 said:


> In addition, the $7.30 Minimum Fare vs ZERO Minimum Fare for cabbies puts Uber drivers AHEAD of cabbies on SHORT TRIPS.


In our market, the short trips are often less expensive in a cab than they are on Uber/Lyft. Those four/three-seventy-five trips cost the customer eight bananas on base rates.

On the mediocre trips, on base rates, they are about the same. It is only on the longer trips that there are significant savings. Once the surges come into effect, the difference diminishes until at 1,5-1,7 the customer is paying to Uber/Lyft the same that he is paying to a cab driver. Once the surge factor hits 1,9, Uber/Lyft is more expensive than a cab.


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## REDcarpete (Aug 2, 2015)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Yeah the taxpayers are more than likely going to have to bail out the medallion owners.
> 
> The writing on the wall has been there since they let uber start operating while simultaneously selling medallions for over 3/4 of a million bucks.
> 
> ...


I had a client in the car a year ago who is behind a well know "vulture" fund and was investing in NYC medallions as he said there would be a bail out and he could pick them up cheap at that time. Cheaper now, I'll bet.


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

UberBastid said:


> People have eaten the zoo animals and pets.


I wonder what a panda-burger tastes like?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pandemic-threatens-yorks-iconic-yellow-015622715.html


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

UberBastid said:


> But, it can't happen to us.


you are on a roll tonight. Have you checked your records for stuff ingested? I'm thinking you are way behind getting stoned. Catch up, will ya. Less depressing posts and back to snark funny ones. Please. :barefoot:


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

SHalester said:


> you are on a roll tonight. Have you checked your records for stuff ingested? I'm thinking you are way behind getting stoned. Catch up, will ya. Less depressing posts and back to snark funny ones. Please. :barefoot:


Yea. LoL.
I been depressed lately.
B!tchy even.

One of the people who work for me came into my office, closed the door and chewed my ass for my attitude this last week. LoL.
It's a good thing the people who work for me are afraid of me, eh?
LoL.
She was right.

I haven't gotten drunk, in a fist fight and hard laid in a long, long time.
Hard to do these days.



Johnny Mnemonic said:


> I wonder what a panda-burger tastes like?


I dunno, but I wouldn't make it long on my pet.
A five lb Yorkie ... probly a pound of flesh on the damn thing.
And, I'm sure tough and stringy.


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