Closing Bell: No Cabbies to Brooklyn
Last week we covered the four-year long plan to close Manhattan bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge during from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, from midnight to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and from midnight to 9 a.m Sundays. Looks like Brooklynian commenters were pretty peeved with how taxi drivers have been refusing to…
Last week we covered the four-year long plan to close Manhattan bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge during from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, from midnight to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and from midnight to 9 a.m Sundays. Looks like Brooklynian commenters were pretty peeved with how taxi drivers have been refusing to take Brooklyners home from Manhattan due to construction. “After 2 cabs refusing, a driver finally took us but was angry the whole time and explained that all cabs will start refusing. And then Saturday night around 2:30am, my boyfriend and I tried to get a cab home… 4 in a row refused us,” writes a poster. Another points out the Manhattan Bridge has lanes reversed when the Brooklyn Bridge is closed, so hopefully late night traffic problems will not be as bad as anticipated.
Photo by gimmeahug
BTW if any one is interested. The cab driver rents the car from either a cab company or an owner-driver(they are required to send out the car at least two shifts a day). The charge for this is between $125-250 plus gas. The fee is set by the NYCTLC. This is know as horse-hire(you hire the horse for the day for your hack). so until the cab driver has made $150-$200 they haven’t earned one cent. They also have to pay a fee for the credit card swipes. But for the most part credit card use has increased tips. and they have to pay for the tolls charges on their ezpass(also required by the TLC).
When I drove a cab it was different. The owners paid for everything(gas too) and you kept 50%(about) of the meter and all the tips… so you made money on your first fare.
Hey DIBS next time tell them to put the a/c on and if they don’t file a complaint on line….
http://www.nyc.gov/apps/311/allServices.htm?requestType=listService&filterServ=TLC&serviceName=Yellow+Taxi+Complaint&intentId=495F3F06-C7CE-11DE-8E9F-96DAE110FEB8
Well for a cabride to BK that costs $20 – I will give him $5-$6
but around the city – I give $2-$3
the thing about cabs is this: they rent the car for $200 a day from the TLC or wherever they get their cab from so once they make that $200 back every dollar is theirs to keep
haha dave – you don’t tip? seriously?
The biggest gripe I have about cabs is NO FUCKING AIR CONDITIONING. Why can I always get Ac in Hong Kong, Bangkok and every other third world place I visit but oftentimes NOT IN NYC????
No tip.
what do you guys typically give cab drivers for a tip?
Yeah, you just get in and then tell them you are going to BK – case closed
I’ve never been refused and I always give a good tip plus tell them ways to get back to the city where they can pick up a fare on the way back
plus I always tell them to take the BBT as I live closer to the BBT than the bridges
Cabs to BK were a problem about 10-15 years ago. These days I can catch a cab to BK and catch yellow cabs back to Manhattan fairly easily. Don’t talk to cabbies until you are in the car, this is not London. If you do come across a cabbie who refuses to take you somewhere in the city, please do all of us a favor and report him/her to the TLC (they are very responsive usually.) If the cab driver starts to bitch about where he’s going, ask him not to, it’s your right. Keep your phone out in view, so that they can see that you can easily take photos and videos of their indiscretions. And, don’t forget, if you had a good ride, please tip generously (or don’t tip at all, if the driver was a pain in the ass.) Cab service has improved tremendously in the last couple of decades, but it is still worse than in any other major city.
from brooklyn heights/cobble hill it is pretty easy to catch the Manhattan Bridge back into Manhattan but I guess the cabbies suspect, probably correctly, that there will be back ups. fortunately the bike lanes will be open in both directions for those of us who like to ride our bikes late at night after the theater, dinner and drinks.