New Class Of Livery Cabs Could Permit Street Hails

The Taxi and Limousine Commission wants your opinion on allowing livery cab drivers new privileges to pick you up. Yes, legally.

The TLC has launched an online survey following up on Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City proposal to allow some livery cab drivers to pick up  would-be passengers off the street to grasp how the public uses taxis and car services.

The TLC says that these select livery cabs are “yellow taxi-like” in that they will include metered fares and the option of credit card payment, but they won’t have the same yellow-cab medallions and will only be allowed to pick up street hails in the outerboroughs. They won’t be the same as the existing livery cabs, which are only allowed to pick up fares by phone; it’ll be a new class of taxi with a distinct uniform color and look, as well as rooftop lights.

TLC Commissioner David Yassky was quoted as saying the agency knows “for sure that New York City residents in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island need better street hail service.”

Living in Sheepshead Bay, I am sure everyone has seen livery cabs lined up in front of the Sheepshead Bay Q/B station. What do you have to say about this?

Take the TLC’s brief survey and let them know what you think of the idea.