Hailing A Cab In New York City: It Takes More Than Holding Up Your Arm

Whether you are a local of New York City or a visitor, a taxi service is always the convenient mode of transport if you do not have your own car. It is cheaper and you need not to worry about parking or traffic. Unfortunately, hailing a cab in New York City is not just about holding up your arm and shouting "Taxi" with all your might. You need to know when and how to hail a taxi. The following are the basic principles of hailing a taxi successively.

Understand The Roof Lights

Most taxis in New York City have roof lights to indicate whether they are available or not. When you read the lights the wrong way, you may end up hailing for a cab forever to no success. Recently, the Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York City made some changes to the rules regarding the lighting system.

Whereas there used to be a medallion number with two "off duty" signs on either side of the number, now there is only the medallion number. When the medallion number is lit, the taxi is available and you can hail, but when it is not lit, the taxi is not available for transport.

Stand In The Right Spot

Standing in the wrong spot can undermine your efforts of stopping a cab. You may think a driver is ignoring you while he simply cannot see you because of your positioning. Stand in a place where you can easily be seen. Selected taxi stands and street corners are great spots for hailing a taxi.

Stepping into the street by a few inches can also make you more visible. On the sidewalk, pedestrians can make the work of a taxi driver a little bit difficult but when you step into the street, the driver can easily pick you out from the crowd.

Hail Appropriately

Now that you have stood in a good spot, hail for a taxi appropriately. Hold up your arm firmly and signal the taxi driver to stop. Note that a taxi driver may ignore a half-hearted attempt because he is not sure you are really stopping a taxi.

Making friendly eye contact with the driver can also suggest that you mean to stop the taxi.  

The time of the day also dictates the availability of a taxi. From 4 pm to 7 pm, stopping a cab might be an exhaustive task since most cabs are usually busy. Keep these things in mind next time you seek a taxi (such as from White Top Cab Company).