Saturday, March 22, 2008

Cabs in NYC

I gotta ask y'all something related to the taxis in New York City. Recently, I went to NYC for a weekend. I know I had a week for spring break, but dang it..assignments and papers for graduate classes. So, a weekend it was. Anyway- several times throughout the weekend, we tried to hail for a cab after exhausting walks/late night-not-want-to-use-subway-in-wee-hours. Once cabs realized we were deaf, they'd speed off. At the late hours of the first night in NYC, a cab stopped, I showed him the note with address and voiced, "Can you take us?" He looked at me and then sped off. When that happened, I shrugged it away "guess, he couldn't read the note." When it happened second time with a second cab, I went "hmmm.. another driver who can't read?" The third time was the charm, "WTF? They don't want to drive me around because I am deaf?!"
It wasn't unique- it happened on the second day, too and even the third day as well. A friend who lives in NYC, said it is not unique; that's when she'd try to get the cab driver's name and license to report him. (Although I do wonder how that could work if the cab driver flee before you get the full information?)
Have anyone else experienced this too?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should've gotten into the cab first BEFORE telling the driver where you want to go. We New Yorkers do it all the time.

Anonymous said...

Like Kevin said... Get in the cab first. Drivers cannot refuse a ride as long as they are on duty.

Even if you were on the outside, cabs have a number printed on the car or on top with their dome-light. You can use that number to report.

Karen Putz said...

Definitely get in the cab first and then hand over the note. I was in NY recently and it was very difficult to communicate with the cab drivers.

Deb Ann and Hannah said...

I have been in Taxi, but it didn't happen like that to me. I guess that it's because I got in the cab first and then showed the note to the driver.