CHOO onthis

Before moving to NY, I imagined myself standing on a street corner, whistling for a taxi and being approached by several, begging for my patronage. While this isn’t exactly what happens at all, it is still relatively easy to procure a taxi. There are, however, a few things you should look out for if you don’t want to waste your time trying to hail taxis that could care less that you’re freezing in the snow, wet from rain, or burning in the summer heat. Once you’re in the cab, there are a few things you may want to remember as well. 

The Chase…

Timing - You’ll notice that it’s much harder to get a cab around 4-5 P.M. The reason why is because this is when the cab driver shift changes occur. Cabs will be much more scarce and FAT CHANCE trying to get an off duty cab to stop for you. 

Finding the right cab (Lights) - The easiest way to identify which cab you should go after like a predator is by the lights. All cab lights have 3 sections - the cab number in the middle and two off duty lights that surround it. Here is what it all means:

• Lit cab number - GET HIM! If the middle light is lit, this means the cab is free and ready for you.
• Off duty lights - Proceed with caution. This cab is off duty and he may or may not stop for you. If the driver does stop, he’ll ask you where you want to go. If you’re on his way, he’ll take you. If not, you’re back to square 1. 
• No lights - Tough luck, he already has passengers. 

Reeling in…

Hailing the cab - Once you’ve identified the right cab, save your voice. You really don’t need to holler or whistle at a cab to get them to stop for you. In fact, they likely can’t even hear you. All you really need to do to get your cab to stop is to put your arm out like this guy:

The Prize…

So you’re finally sitting comfortably in a cab - maybe you got lucky and you’re in a Prius or maybe even in the the ever-so spacious Ford Escape. You’ll notice some background noise - it’s Ryan Seacrest or someone from E! talking about a new show, or perhaps Alex Trebek asking you Jeopardy questions about the Meatpacking district. The first 5 minutes of this is fine, but if you have a good 20 minute cab ride ahead of you, you’ll want to SHUT IT OFF. Trust me, the cab driver will love you too. Look out for the power button on the bottom right hand side of the TV screen. 

Happy hailing!