for The New York Times: Yellow Cabs Are Struggling. Congestion Pricing Could Deal a New Blow. by José A. Alvarado Jr.

News

for The New York Times: Yellow Cabs Are Struggling. Congestion Pricing Could Deal a New Blow.

josé a. alvarado jr.

Oct 11, 2022

Location: New York City

Summary

The tolling program could push up fares and shrink taxi demand, the M.T.A. says. Cabdrivers are also seeking their own fare hike of up to 23 percent.

New York City’s taxi industry has faced a drumbeat of challenges over the past decade, from predatory loans and the rise of ride-share apps to a global pandemic that dried up business. Now, an ambitious government effort to boost public transit and push commuters out of cars could be the latest existential threat confronting the iconic yellow cab.

The initiative — known as congestion pricing — aims to shore up the strained budget of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that runs the city’s subways and buses, with new tolls on vehicles entering the congested streets of Midtown and Lower Manhattan. And transportation authorities have said they hope the plan would cut the number of vehicles entering the area by at least 10 percent, which would also contribute to cleaner air.

Many urban planners and climatologists say a plan to thin out traffic on Manhattan’s most clogged streets is long overdue. But as congestion pricing moves closer to reality, the city’s shrinking fleet of yellow cabs — once as synonymous with New York City as the Yankees and Broadway — is at risk of dwindling even further.

Photographed for The New York Times, with words by Ana Ley.

Yellow Cabs Are Struggling. Congestion Pricing Could Deal a New Blow.
The tolling program could push up fares and shrink taxi demand, the M.T.A. says. Cabdrivers are also seeking their own fare hike of up to 23 percent.
Nytimes.com

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José A. Alvarado Jr.

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