Taxi And Limousine Commission Considers Change To Cab Roof Lights
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Do you have trouble determining if a New York City taxi is actually available?
WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Story
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The lights on top of the cab can be hard for some folks to understand. One indicates the taxi's medallion number, and it is surrounded by the "off-duty" light.
Some passengers, especially visitors, have complained about this set-up, and repeatedly try to hail unavailable cabs.
As a result, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is considering switching to just a single roof light for the vehicles.
Some potential passengers mistake any roof light turning on as indicating the cab is on duty and available. Others complain that from a distance, the lighting is difficult to discern.
The current lighting scheme for taxis is as follows: when the medallion number light is on, but the off-duty light is off, the cab is on-duty and available.
When both the medallion number and off-duty lights are on, the cab is off-duty, but you might be able to get a ride, if you're destination lies along the route the taxi driver plans to take - a "going my way" trip.
When both the medallion number and off-duty lights are off, the cab is on-duty, but already has a passenger inside.
Finally, when the medallion number is off and the off-duty light is on, the cab is off-duty and occupied by a passenger on a "going my way" trip.
Taxis in other cities already employ a single light system, where if the light is off, the cab is unavailable, regardless of the reason.
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