Taxicabs in New York City come in two varieties: yellow and green; they are widely recognizable symbols of the city. Taxis painted yellow (medallion taxis) are able to pick up passengers anywhere in the five boroughs. Taxis painted apple green (street hail livery vehicles, commonly known as “boro taxis”), which began to appear in August 2013, are allowed to pick up passengers in Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens (excluding LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport), and Staten Island. Both types have the same fare structure. Taxicabs are operated by private individuals or companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). It also oversees over 40,000 other for-hire vehicles, including “black cars”, commuter vans, and ambulettes.
Taxicab vehicles, each of which must have a medallion to operate, are driven an average of 180 miles (290 km) per shift. As of March 14, 2014, there were 51,398 individuals licensed to drive medallion taxicabs. There were 13,605 taxicab medallion licenses in existence. By July 2016, that number had dropped slightly to 13,587 medallions, or 18 lower than the 2014 total. Taxi patronage has declined since 2011 due to competition from ridesharing companies.
The medallion system was created in 1937 as a government imposed limitation on the supply of taxicabs, requiring that a medallion be purchased for the right to operate a taxi. Thereafter, New York did not sell any medallions until 1996, when it auctioned slightly more than 2,000. The lack of new medallions resulted in such a shortage that by 2014 they were selling for more than $1 million each, with about 14,000 medallions in existence. Since then, the increase in rideshare vehicles, which numbered about 63,000 in 2015 and 100,000 by August 2018, has drastically reduced the market price of medallions.
As of September 2012, there are around 7,990 hybrid taxi vehicles, representing almost 59% of the taxis in service, as of 2023, there are over 12,000 taxis in New York City, the most in any city in North America. The Nissan NV200 won the city’s bid to become the “Taxi of Tomorrow” to replace most of the city’s taxi fleet, with its introduction scheduled for October 2012. Nevertheless, this decision has faced several lawsuits and criticism, with the NV200 subject to comparisons with more cost-effective and widely adopted models. As of March 14, 2014, 6,000 Street Hail Livery (SHL) permits have been issued, 20% of which must be used with wheelchair-accessible vehicles, with 4,478 Street Hail Livery vehicles already in use by that time.
Fares
As of September 4, 2012, fares begin at $2.50 ($3.00 between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 am, and $3.50 during the peak weekday hours of 4:00–8:00 p.m.) and increase based on the distance traveled and time spent in slow traffic (50 cents for each one-fifth mile (0.32 km) or each 50 seconds stopped or traveling under 12 mph (19 km/h)). An additional 50¢ tax is added to all trips within New York City. For trips to Nassau and Westchester counties, fare is the metered rate from the point of origin to the city limit, then twice the metered rate from the city limit to the destination. All trips between Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport are charged a flat rate of $52. All trips to Newark Airport are charged the metered rate plus $17.50. The passenger also has to pay for any portion of the trip where the cab is driven on a toll road. The taxi must have an E-ZPass tag, and passengers pay the discounted E-ZPass toll rates.
Fares were increased at the end of 2022. Under the new plan, fares begin at $3.00. An additional surcharge of $2.50 applies during weekday rush hours, and a surcharge of $1 applies during overnight hours. In addition, all trips between Manhattan and JFK Airport are charged a flat rate of $70, and all trips to or from LaGuardia Airport will be charged the metered rate plus $5.
In 1999, 241 million passengers rode in New York taxis. The average cab fare in 2000 was $6; passengers paid a total of over $1 billion in fares that year. By 2006, the number had remained unchanged at about 240 million annual passengers.
According to an April 2011 study by the Chicago Dispatcher, New York City taxis have a relatively low standard fare, charging an estimated $14.10 for a distance of 5 miles (8.0 km) and five minutes’ wait time (compared to an estimated $18.48 in West Hollywood and $12.87 in Houston). Taxi drivers are not permitted to use cell phones while transporting passengers, even if they use a hands-free headset, although this is widely ignored by drivers. As of 2006, drivers earned an average of $158 after a 12-hour shift, but this figure has declined in the succeeding years, given that an increasing number of medallions have been leased since then.
If you’re in New York City and want to hail a yellow taxi, here are your options:
- Hail a Taxi on the Street:
- Just look for an empty yellow taxi with its light on (the light on the roof will be lit up, indicating that it’s available).
- You can wave your hand to signal the driver, and they’ll pull over to pick you up.
- Use a Taxi App:
- Apps like Curb and Uber can help you hail a yellow taxi directly from your phone.
- Simply download the app, set your pickup location, and request a ride. The app will connect you with nearby yellow cabs.
- Taxi Stands:
- You can also find designated taxi stands around popular areas like airports (JFK, LaGuardia) or transportation hubs (Penn Station, Grand Central).
You’ll find them all over the city, so once you’re ready, you won’t have to wait long!
you can call a yellow taxi by phone in New York City! You can contact a few taxi dispatch services to request a ride:
- Yellow Cabs:
- You can call (212) 777-7777, which is the number for the Yellow Cabs dispatch service. They’ll send a cab to your location.
- Curb (formerly known as Taxi Magic):
- Another option is to use the Curb service, where you can call (212) 777-7777 as well or use the Curb app to book a yellow taxi by phone.
When calling by phone, it’s a good idea to provide your exact location and the nearest cross-streets so the dispatcher can send a cab to you.
You can also call a green taxi (the ones that serve outer boroughs like Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island) by phone!
To request a green taxi, you can call (212) 973-3000, which is the dispatch number for the Green Cabs. They operate similarly to yellow taxis, but they’re specifically meant to serve areas outside Manhattan more efficiently.
You can also use the Curb app to request a green taxi, which can be more convenient for booking rides in the outer boroughs.
So, if you’re in a neighborhood that’s served by green taxis, giving them a call or using the app will work just like calling a yellow one!