Today’s Hot Topic: Taxi Talk

Taxi! Kids just love hailing cabs and going for a ride. If you’re not a subway rat, those yellow Crown Victorias are probably the common mode of transport for your NYC fam. It’s easy to get accustomed to the luxury of being chauffeured around the city as a clan. But get ready for a change: our taxis are about to get a makeover.

According to the Wall Street Journal online, beginning October 2013, the Nissan NV 200 will become the new city cab. Heralded as the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” this bright yellow set of wheels will improve the fuel economy of those ubiquitous gas-guzzlers.

How much more fuel efficient these cabs will be remains unclear. I appreciate a good numbers comparison but have yet to find a satisfying stat. Regardless, am I the only one that thinks this is too little too late? We were blessed with those squawking TV screens in the back of taxis in 2007, yet it took another five years to figure out that better gas mileage might be a good idea?

If you ask me, it’s time to put on the parking brake and prioritize other modes of transportation for our families, like so many other cities do so well. Let’s teach our children the value of walking to school, biking to the movie theater, or scooting to a friend’s apartment. It can be more entertaining–and certainly healthier–for a kid to walk those motley city blocks rather than hail and ride.

I challenge you all to join me and go taxi-free this weekend. See you on the sidewalks.

–Whitney C. Harris

Deputy Editor

wharris@manhattanmedia.com