Know Your Green Taxis

The all-borough taxis are converted livery cabs that can be hailed, legally, from the street, that only started rolling in August after about a year of challenges. The new green cabs are metered the same as yellow cabs — for more info, WNYC has a good bunch of FAQs about the new program. One important thing to know: What you should hail.

There have been reports that some companies have been painting their cars in the same green apple color, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission will vote on a new rule that would ban all shades of green for cars that don’t have a street-hail license.

So how can you tell if the cab you’re about to get into is a legitimate all-borough taxi? It’s got to have a meter, roof lights, and a permit. So that one pictured above, that’s good to go.

Don’t be fooled by impostors. We’re not sure if this one is just waiting to get its decals and roof lights, or if it’s been painted green on the sly. If it doesn’t have a meter, you’re at risk of being charged whatever the driver feels like charging, essentially, so watch out.

The jury’s out on this one. We’ve seen a number of green cabs that have the decals but no roof lights. It could just be that they’re being put together piecemeal. Just know to look for a meter before you hop in.

Have any of you used a green taxi yet? Have you seen enough around the area to even hail them? And if so, was it a better deal than using a livery service?