NYC taxi invasion
Manhattan to Albany would be a rather expensive fare. (About $300 before tip, according to this fare calculator.)
Summer emails:
NYC taxis have invaded downtown Albany! Apparently they're in town for some sort of protest, but it was strange sight. The photos (attached) doesn't do it justice.
There was a mass taxi sighting at the Exit 24 tolls this morning, too.
The cabs are part of a rally against legislation that would let livery drivers in the city pick up passengers who hail them in northern Manhattan and the four non-Manhattan boroughs (the cabs are upset because they say the law would cut into their business). The Bloomberg admin is pushing the legislation, and apparently it's trying to route around a city council traffic jam. [NY Post] [NYT] [Gothamist]
More photos via Summer after the jump.
Update: Sean reports that many of the taxis were ticketed.
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Comments
Taxi licenses cost around three quarters of a million dollars?
That cannot possibly be an accurate statement.
... said Em on Jun 21, 2011 at 11:48 AM | link
I hope they stay. Taxi service in the Capital Region sucks.
(N.B.: I'm a lifelong Capital Region resident, not a NYC transplant.)
... said Alex on Jun 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM | link
@Em: The average price of a taxi medallion was $665,000 for individuals and $950,000 for corporations in May 2011, according to a NYC government site.
... said Greg on Jun 21, 2011 at 11:57 AM | link
I live near Swan (right by the one way sign down the drain), and when I walked out of my apartment this morning, there was an unending flow of those NYC taxis pouring out of the Swan Street tunnel. When I got to the west lawn of the capitol, I could see that they were everywhere. Lining Swan in front of the county building, lined up two deep along both sides of Washington...and I didn't even get a glimpse of the east side of the capitol. It was a strange way to start the day, I tell ya.
... said Summer on Jun 21, 2011 at 12:12 PM | link
You'd think if they can drive all the way to Albany, Queens and Brooklyn would be no big deal. Or for that matter, anywhere above 125th street. If they aren't going to cruise the boroughs where people live, then let the black cars do it.
... said meierrain on Jun 21, 2011 at 12:53 PM | link
Medallions don't work like licenses. It's a one-time fee, not annual, and you're allowed to resell them.
For anybody that's confused by all this talk about "liveries": in everyday NYC parlance, they call these "car services." They're not yellow and they're not supposed to stop for hails (yet), but otherwise you can take them like cabs.
... said Ed L. on Jun 22, 2011 at 9:01 AM | link