General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe number of NYC taxicab medallions has not increased since 1937
I want everyone who gripes about Uber or Lyft to just digest that for a moment: the number of taxi's in Manhattan is the same now (actually slightly lower) than it was in 1937.
This is everything that is wrong with regulation. It's not about safety, or hygiene, or whatever, it's about protecting an existing monopoly. It's regulatory capture. And it's very visible here.
MADem
(135,425 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)He has fixed price destinations, he's reliable, you call him up, he knows you, he takes you where you want to go.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)Traffic in midtown has been a mess for decades - where would additional cabs drive without making traffic worse?
Recursion
(56,582 posts)herding cats
(19,568 posts)Which helps to reduce traffic by single user vehicles.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Which should have been more than absorbed by expanded subway and bus and ferry service.
Not to mention private car services which can be reached by phone and collectivo-style vans.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)from 7.4 million to 8 million. The population of Manhattan has declined by 300K since 1940; most of the growth is in the outer boroughs (notably in Queens which has nearly doubled in population, from 1.2 million to 2.2 million). Most of the demand for taxis is in Manhattan. Which makes the lack of increase in licensed hacks not such a big deal, really.
badtoworse
(5,957 posts)This probably explains why it doesn't seem any harder to get a cab now than it did when I started. Getting a cab when it's raining has always been a pain.