taxis
Thompson, new supporter of Bloomberg's taxi plan, raises off de Blasio's opposition
Former comptroller Bill Thompson is raising money off of his opponents' opposition to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's borough taxi program. More
Bloomberg emerges triumphant in taxi suits; outer-borough taxis and e-hails move ahead
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is very happy about today's court decisions that will finally pave the way for outerborough taxi service and enable New Yorkers to hail taxis on their smartphones. More
(1)Taxi kingpin cites Bloomberg's threat in a retaliation lawsuit
The dispute between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and taxi fleet owner Evgent Friedman just achieved a new level of nastiness. More
(2)A councilman waters down his taxi accessibility bill and loses the advocates
Councilman G. Oliver Koppell has withdrawn a bill that would mandate all new taxis be accessible to people in wheelchairs, after advocates withdrew their support, calling his compromise legislation watered down. More
Stop-and-go e-hail effort hits another speed bump
Today, an appeals court issued yet another temporary restraining order on the city's stop-and-go effort to allow New Yorkers to hail taxis with their smartphones. More
Facing criticism of its non-hybrid Taxi of Tomorrow, the city launches an electric-taxi pilot
Seeking to neutralize criticism of its combustion-engine Taxi of Tomorrow program, the city on Monday announced that it was launchign an electric-taxi pilot program. More
(1)City Hall stands firmish against wheelchair requirements for taxis
On Thursday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's taxi commissioner, David Yassky, testified against a bill that would require all yellow cabs to be wheelchair-accessible, but even he didn't seem all that convinced with his own argument. More
Bloomberg administration reverses course on hybrid taxis again
Taxi drivers will no longer have to give up their hybrid cabs in exchange for combustion-engine Taxis of Tomorrow, according to new rules released today. More
A councilman gets his hearing, and a taxi commissioner signals he's warming to wheelchair accessibility
Councilman Oliver Koppell will, after much trying, get his hearing on taxi wheelchair accessibility. The city's taxi commissioner, meanwhile, is sending faint signals that he might be warming up to the idea. More
The curse of the New York City taxi medallion
Thirteen months ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a taxi to the Bronx to declare victory in his bid to populate the outer boroughs with a new caste of cab called the borough taxi. More
(9)A councilman takes a symbolic, Quinn-tweaking stand on wheelchair-accessible taxis
G. Oliver Koppell, a councilman from the Bronx, has invoked a rarely used City Council rule to force a vote on a bill that would require all new taxis to be wheelchair-accessible, but the move might well prove a symbolic one.
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It's official: Those confusing off-duty lights on New York taxis are going away
Today, a city commission voted to permanently do away with new York City's befuddling taxi rooftop light system. More
At midnight, New York taxi customers will again ride solo
In one small sign that New York City is returning to normalcy, starting at midnight, New York City cab drivers will no longer be able to pick up multiple rides.
As Sandy rages, the city releases controversial new rules about taxi apps
Today, at 11:47 a.m., just hours before the New York is to bear the full brunt of the worst storm in recent history, the city released controversial new rules about taxi apps.
Combusted: The death of hybrid taxis in New York
“We’re gonna have all of our cabs be hybrid.”
So said Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Matt Lauer on the “Today” show in 2007, as they stood in front of a hybrid yellow cab donated by Yahoo! and emblazoned with its logo.
The mayor gestured toward a thin man in glasses to his left: “This is city councilman David Yassky, who has been leading the environmental fight here in the city.”
Today, Yassky is Bloomberg’s taxi commissioner. And 2012, the year by which the taxi’s fleet was to go hybrid, has come, and is now nearly gone.
In the meantime, not only has the city’s powerful taxi lobby defeated the mayor’s plan in federal court, but the city is now taking steps that will actually reduce the number of hybrids on city streets.
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