Uber Yellow Cabs may soon be coming to NYC — and a city near you!
Travel
Once upon a time, residents of and visitors to New York City could stand on any street in the Big Apple and hail a yellow cab with the quick wave of a hand. However, once the COVID pandemic hit the country, yellow cabs in NYC dried up quicker than a puddle on a hot summer day. After all, empty streets, empty office buildings, and deserted restaurants and entertainment venues meant there was zero need for taxis, which prompted many drivers to turn in their cabbie medallions, ditch their yellow vehicles, and find a new way to make a living elsewhere. Or, in other words, yellow cabs in NYC became non-existent almost overnight.
Nowadays, standing on a New York street corner and waving a hand might get you a hooker or a call-boy, but it’s next to impossible to get you a cab. And, that’s where Uber comes in.
Once the enemy of big city taxis, Uber and the potential for Uber Yellow Cabs appear to be the wave of the future.
Yes, Uber has petitioned New York City and a host of other major US cities to allow the rideshare company to put yellow cabbie drivers back to work via the Uber app.
If the plan is approved, instead of tourists and residents hailing a cab via the old-fashioned way on the street, they’d open the Uber app and get the first available driver nearby — including yellow cab drivers. Those drivers would be paid by Uber just like all the others and would no longer need to accept cash, provide change, or accept credit card swipes. Everything would take place through the Uber app as usual.
The idea would address the Uber driver shortage, would address the NYC yellow cab shortage, and would provide almost instant relief for taxi drivers struggling with taxi medallion debt.
It’s a win-win for everyone, right? Hmmm, only time will tell…
This might end up a good idea or a horrible one. But we will have to see. It is too bad you can barely find a taxi in a lot cities now a days.