Taxi? No ...

I did it.  I finally did it.

Yesterday I used a ride-sharing app.

I had a lunchtime appointment with my orthopedist  (yet another chapter in the story about My Stupid Knee).  

The doctor’s office is on East 64th Street.  I work in the Financial District.  Last time I saw him, I took the subway uptown, it was a quick trip.  But yesterday ... all sorts of issues, it took forever to get to 59th Street.  And then I had to walk 5 blocks in the pouring rain. I was 30 minutes late for my appointment.

So, to get back to my office ... I used Via.    Via is like Uber or Lyft, but their drivers are licensed by the City’s Taxi & Limosine Commission, they operate exclusively within Manhattan, and you’ll be sharing your ride with other customers unless no one else is going in the direction you are traveling. He picked me up on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 62nd Street and dropped me at my office.  Total for the 5 mile ride, including tax and tip, was less than $7.  Much cheaper than a cab.

And that speaks volumes.

How the industry has changed.

There was a time, not too long ago, when taxis dominated the scene.  Yellow cabs were the only cars allowed to pick up passengers on the street.  Customers who wanted car service/limousines had to prearrange a ride. Limousine drivers could get into trouble with the TLC if they picked up passengers on the street, and taxi drivers could get into trouble for refusing to pick up a passenger or refusing to drive to a requested destination (e.g., the outer boroughs).  And owning a taxi medallion (which allowed a business to operate) was like owning a piece of Fort Knox.

Knowing how to hail a cab was a basic NYC survival skill.

Uber, et al, have cut into the business...

Good for the consumer, bad for the taxi industry; those medallions aren’t worth as much anymore.  

I wonder how different the sitcom Taxi would be if they made it today.