Chapter 3 The Transportation System - New York Metropolitan ...

Chapter 3York City, providing service at all hours.Due to the consistent wear and tearon the taxis as a result of long hours ofcontinuous driving, start-and-stop trafficand overall heavy usage, about 3,000taxicabs are replaced every year. 104New York City’s mayor announced acontest to design the “Taxicab of theFuture,” with three main manufacturerscompeting. The van-style taxi by Nissan(NV200 model) was selected and willbegin to enter service in 2013. As partof the mayor’s push for a “greener” city,these taxis are more fuel efficient, includebetter passenger safety features, and areexpected to have a smoother ride for thepassenger. Efforts are also being made tomake taxis more ADA (Americans withDisabilities Act) compliant.A recent a plan to launch new streethailtaxi service for northern Manhattanand the four other boroughs, by allowinglivery cabs to be hailed as are traditionaltaxis, was halted in June 2012 bya New York State judge, who ruled thatthe city and state Legislature violated theso-called home rule provision of the stateconstitution. (The clause says the statemay pass a law directly affecting the affairsof a single municipality only if thatcity’s legislative body has voted to allowit.) 1053-34 Plan 2040: NYMTC Regional Transportation Plan