Traveling by Taxi in New York City

New Yorkers have a love and hate relationship with the city's taxi cabs. These cabs are a quick and easy mode of transportation across Manhattan, a route rather overlooked by the famous subway system. However, at the same time, they are at the root of most traffic jams in the city. If you are a visitor to the Big Apple, it is convenient to know some basic points about traveling by taxi.

For 'hailing' a taxi, you simply have to stick out your arm. Hail only those whose numbers on the roof are lit, because that indicates they are available. Remember that yellow taxi cabs cannot be booked in advance; you can only hail one on the street or approach at a taxi stand. You need a different service if you want to call ahead to be picked up at a particular place. Cabs accept cash only and more often than not cabbies refuse to break anything more than $20. So, keeping small bills is convenient while traveling in a taxi cab. Taxi cabs may prove costly for a single passenger, but they can be a bargain if there are three or more passengers. The starting fare is $2.50 and each one-fifth of a mile costs 40 cents. An idle time rate is charged for each minute the cab is stopped in traffic. There are also night surcharges and peak surcharges at night and peak hours respectively. While the former is 50 cents, the peak hour surcharge is $1 for rides between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. It is the convention to tip about 15 per cent although the range varies from 10 to 20 per cent depending on the service. You will have to pay more if you cross outside the metropolitan area. If airports are your destination, there are set fees plus toll and tip. Recently a pilot program for credit card use has been introduced in just over 150 taxi cabs on an experimental basis.
Officially, yellow taxi cabs can accommodate a maximum of four passengers - three in the backseat and one in the front seat. Exception can be made when an adult (who must be seated in the back) keeps a child under age seven on his or her lap. No extra money is charged for the extra rider. Sometimes, cabbies take five, but ask the fifth person to duck down to escape the sight of the authorities.

No taxi is legally allowed to refuse service to anywhere in the five boroughs of the city. Moreover, cabbies cannot discriminate against riders based on race, disability, or destination point. If a passenger asks the driver to follow a specific route, the driver must follow it.

You can ask the driver to switch off the radio if you prefer silence or you may ask him to switch it on if you so desire. Also, you may request that the air conditioning be turned on, even if your driver does not think it is hot enough. If you leave any item in a taxi cab, you can launch a lost property inquiry on www.nyc.gov. You can also lodge a complaint against the cabbie for any of the following reasons: overcharges, dangerous driving, refusal of service, rudeness, and failure to take a direct route. Although there are a large number of taxis in the city, there is always a fierce competition for one especially during peak hours.