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Open thread: Will a taxi fare increase break your yellow fever?

The situations where we can actually justify taking cabs are few and far between: when you’re with your friends who are rich and lazy enough to offer to pay for the whole thing; when you’re running more than just New-York late for a show; when you’re making out with a girl in a bar and need to get home before too much sobering up happens; goddamn Bushwick, and so forth. This is because not taking the subway seems like an ungrateful affront to all the wonderful progress of urban living, akin to buying bottled water when the NYC tap version is some of the best in the world or ordering Papa John’s instead of going to any of the 20,000 actual pizzerias on your block

But this is some news that might have us forever clutching the subway poles, even well into 4am. The Taxi and Limousine Commission wants to raise the taxi rates for the first time since 2006 to account for rising gas prices, which could mean as much as 20 percent more for cab rides, Crain’s reports.

The commission will consider the increase next week, but we’re sure it’s inevitable. Which means, damnit G train, we just can’t quit you.

So let’s hear your thoughts: when and how often do you take a cab? Do you feel guilty doing it? We have a friend whose sister refuses to ever take the subway, instead taking a car to work every day, like she’s the president of earth or something. She also lives in Manhattan.

4 Comments

  1. beezy

    I have medical bills from the multiple times cabbies have sped away while I have one foot in the door when I say “Fort Greene”

    so a higher rate can’t really discourage me any more.

  2. Conal Darcy

    That’s funny. I saw the headline on today’s AM New York and reflexively thought “Well, looks like I’ll never take a yellow taxi again.”

  3. Tim Donnelly

    One reason I actually like taking cabs is conversations with the cab drivers, who always have some fascinating version of an immigrant story. Can’t really chat up the subway drivers, what with those big headsets they wear and all.

  4. Donefore24

    Cab drivers should get an increase they work harder then most people and have to put up with all kinds of shit from the t,l,c, to the cops who have nothing better to do then write tickets for bullshit reasons lets not forget that asshole mayor as well, maybe he should go after all the people who work for the city who are stealing it dry but than again there above it all right mr mayor when the hell are you getting the hell out of office you turned out to be real dread

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