New York Taxis - A Survival Guide

Some useful tips for visitors to New York who want to use a taxicab.

If you ever find yourself in New York, you may need to take a taxi somewhere. The following is a useful guide on how to deal with New York City cab drivers. When travelling in a New York City taxi, you should:

• Take your own portable taxi meter so you know how much to pay. • Take a computerised map to check the route the driver is taking. • Take a copy of the city ordinance rules with you. This way you can check if the driver tries to charge you too much. • Always wear a suit or smart clothes - taxi drivers are more likely to stop for you. • Once in the cab, speak loudly and clearly, it’s difficult to hear through the Plexiglass. • Watch the meter carefully. It should click approximately every four or five blocks. If it clicks faster than that, something funny is going on. • Never say any of the following phrases: “Good morning, Mr taxi driver. This is my first day in the city”; or, “Hi, I’m new here and I don’t know my way around New York”; or, “Mr taxi driver, I’ll let you decide which route to take”. G L O S S A R Y

city ordinance rules n the rules and regulations a suit n clothes with the trousers and the jacket the same colour and style smart clothes n formal clothes Plexiglass n very thick glass. Taxi drivers use it to protect them from their passengers to click vb to make short, mechanical sounds and movements like a clock to go on phr vb to happen military hardware n weapons, guns, tanks, rockets, etc voter turnout n the number of people who vote in an election