Taking a Taxi is a very fast and affordable way to New York City has over 11,000 licensed yellow cabs. To flag down any one of these taxis is somewhat of an art. To get started, position yourself along the curb of any one of New York City’s busy avenues or streets and look at the rooftop light of the taxi. Any taxi that is currently unavailable will have the number on its rooftop turn off. Any taxi with its rooftop light illuminated is available for hailing. If you see the “off-duty” sign illuminated, that means that the taxi driver has finished his shift and is going home.
Hailing a Cab
To flag down a cab, simply raise your arm. Because New York City is quite busy, and taxi remains one of the most popular forms of transportation, you may find yourself in competition with other people were also hailing the same cab. The unwritten rule in New York City is first come, first served. So whoever raised their arms first should be the person to get the taxi. You should never try to steal someone else’s taxi.
