Green taxis continue trek into outer boroughs

December 20, 2013 Heather Chin

Photo courtesy of NYC.gov.

Share this:

The past few months have seen green taxis slowly make their way through the “outer boroughs” of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, and in Manhattan north of East 96^th and West 110^th Streets.

There are 2,035 green taxis—35 of them wheelchair-accessible vehicles—on the road now and all of this year’s allotted 6,000 permits and 141 taxi base endorsements had been sold by November 8.

This and other data was released in a presentation from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) about the progress of the Five Boro Taxi Plan, approved on June 6 by the state Court of Appeals following opposition from TLC Commissioner David Yassky and others, who considered the plan to be a threat to non-city livery cab drivers.

According to the presentation, made to Community Board 10 on Monday, December 16, 128 pickups had been made in CB 10’s neighborhoods of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights as of November 8. These pickups were made either through street hails or by pre-arranged appointments made online and through local car service agencies.

Green taxis, also known as Boro Taxis, are regular livery cars that have undergone a “hack-up process” following receipt of their permit and twice-a-year-inspection. They get painted apple green and are installed with a roof light, meter, GPS unit, credit/debit card reader, camera or partition, and “proper vehicle markings.”

Once transformed, green taxis can pick up street hails and pre-arranged calls in northern Manhattan and the four outer boroughs.

Yellow taxis can only pick up street hails. Neighborhood livery cars can only pick up pre-arranged calls.

Brooklynites have had mixed reactions to the green taxis, welcoming an end to yellow cab discrimination against passengers who live and work outside of Manhattan, but also expressing skepticism about how useful it will be.

Jean Ryan, a Community Board 10 member who requires transportation that can accommodate her wheelchair, said she is glad that the green taxis are making their way into Brooklyn, but would like all of them to be wheelchair-accessible because non-disabled riders also use the wheelchair-accessible cars, whereas disabled riders can’t do the same with inaccessible vehicles.

In addition, Ryan said, “it will still be difficult to get [taxis] and have reliable transportation if the city doesn’t tell us which livery bases have the few accessible vehicles available.”

Morris Sacks, the Traffic and Transportation Committee Chair at Community Board 14 (Flatbush, Midwood, Kensington), previously told this paper the plan’s benefits depend on whether or not “all the illegitimate street hails were prevented from operating.

“Enforcement is key, but otherwise, it’s a very positive thing,” said Sacks, who used to work as a yellow taxi driver. “The money used to be made in Manhattan and that’s why we have a lack of [taxis] in outer boroughs, but [now] in busy commercial streets, there is definitely demand. If it’s regulated, it’s a definite benefit.”

To suggest/request a taxi stand in your neighborhood, visit www.borotaxis.org.