New York Taxis
New York City: Insider Tips
Outside of rush hour when Manhattan traffic slows to a crawl, taxis can be a good and reasonably affordable alternative to subway travel. Metered fares for licensed yellow cabs begin at $2.50, and most rides around Manhattan shouldn't set you back more than $10 or $15, including a 15 or 20 percent tip. But somehow, New York's normally abundant supply of taxis has a way of drying up just when you need one the most — a muggy summer afternoon when you're late for a business meeting, for instance, or during an evening rainstorm when you're dressed for the opera.
Perhaps the worst time to look for a cab in Manhattan is around 5 pm when demand is high and many drivers are going off duty. At these times, some drivers will ask your destination before you get in, and they'll only agree to take you if you're headed in the general direction they're going to drop off the car. Whenever taxis are in short supply, competition for available cabs can get quite fierce, even openly antagonistic, and if you're feeling at all timid about the endeavor, you're probably better off walking to the nearest major hotel and joining the queue of guests waiting politely for a ride.
Unless you're going to an obvious destination like Times Square or South Street Seaport, it's best to direct the driver to an intersection instead of giving a street address or the name of a particular hotel or restaurant. Drivers won't necessarily know the shortest way to 440 Ninth Ave., for example, and may give you a blank look if you say you're headed for Uncle Jack's Steakhouse, but tell them you're going to Ninth Avenue between 34th and 35th and they'll know exactly where to go.
Currently, more than 4,500 of the 13,000+ New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission taxi cabs are equipped with mobile credit card machines. It is expected that the entire fleet will be credit card reader-equipped by July 1, 2008, but for now all taxi riders should be prepared to pay the fare in cash.
| 
)
