🚇 Unsafe Subway: MTA Arguments AGAINST Exempting Taxis & FHVs From Additional Congestion Tolls Are Dangerous
Viral video of native New Yorker describing her assault on MTA-run subway is yet another reminder of why the City needs affordable taxis & FHVs more than ever
AutoMarketplace.com NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace.com on YouTube ▶️
We’ve laid out our technical arguments against why we believe yellow cabs and other FHVs SHOULD BE exempt from NEW Manhattan congestion tolling. Remember, NYC yellow cabs and other FHVs are ALREADY subject to $2.50 and $2.75 congestion fees *per trip*, respectively.
From issues around double taxation to the unintentional promotion of private vehicle ownership to the negative impact on TLC trip volumes & drivers livelihoods - we think NOT exempting taxis and FHVs from additional congestion tolls would be a mistake. These opinions, one may argue, are a biased perspective of someone in the NYC TLC industry. Okay, let’s accept that accusation for a minute.
What we didn’t touch on at length, is why NOT exempting taxis and FHVs from additional congestion pricing could actually be a public safety issue. Essentially, the argument of the NYC passenger, not TLC driver or other industry participant.
Public Safety Argument
Let’s talk facts and figures 📊. Crime on NYC’s subway, which is run by the MTA, is up and many New Yorkers, including local media, are talking about it a lot these days (Note: pre-congestion pricing media and politics) 👇.
“For me to go to work [in a taxi] is $25, taking the subway is $2.75…but it’s worth it for me now, because it’s not dangerous”
- Cynthia McKnight, East New York resident (July 2022)
If a safe subway system cannot be provided, then it is essentially not fair to price out New Yorkers, many who don’t own vehicles, from obvious alternatives such as taxis and other FHVs. Adding ADDITIONAL congestion tolls on taxis and FHVs in a unsafe, statistically speaking, public transport environment is a public safety concern.
Don’t get us wrong either, WE WANT a safe subway, WE UNDERSTAND MTA employees are trying their best, but want and reality are two separate things. Unfortunately, subway horror stories continue to pop up. The latest story that’s gone viral, garnering over 300,000 likes and 9,000+ comments on TikTok, ends with a native New Yorker , clearly shaken up by an unprovoked subway attack, saying “F%$k New York”. That’s not something very proud and patriotic New Yorkers easily say.
We think it’s clear, the MTA has more work to do before it impacts another NYC institution, the NYC for-hire transportation industry.
***DISCLAIMER: Video has language that some may find offensive, including children***
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AutoMarketplace.com NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace.com on YouTube ▶️