Taxis | Park It! Guides

Through Twitter, we heard about Hailo, a new mobile app you can use to hail a NYC taxi. From the video, it looks like you list your location on the app and the NYC taxi will accept your request. You’ll get a a text when the NYC cab is approaching. The payment is made through the Hailo app at the end of the ride.

We’re not sure how this app is different from Uber’s app to hail NYC cabs. We’ve blogged before about the legal issues Uber had with the NYC TLC.

There doesn’t seem to be a charge for passengers. The drivers pay a commission to Hailo for the service. The founding team comprising taxi drivers and entrepreneur is based in Boston, and Hailo is active in London, Boston, Barcelona, Dublin, Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo. They’ve raised $20 million in funding. We wish them luck in NYC.

Beginning January 15, 2013, hailing a NYC taxi will be a whole lot easier to figure out. Right now, there are four combinations of NYC taxi rooftop lights to convey if the taxi is available, not available, or might be available if the driver feels like it.

But as each taxi is inspected after January 15, 2013, the ‘OFF DUTY’ lights will be discontinued. NYC taxi rooftops will have a much simpler version.

Available — if the taxi rooftop medallion number is LIGHTED

Not Available – if the taxi rooftop medallion number is DARK. This will happen if the taxi is occupied or if the driver is off-duty.

Source: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times

NYC Taxi fares are going up, and there’s a new design on the outside of the taxi cars to celebrate. The Taxi and Limousine Commission decided that the old logo (shown right) with the ‘T’ in a circle followed by the letters ‘axi’ was fine to be replaced by just the ‘T’ in yellow in a black circle (shown below).

The other change to the outside of a NYC taxi is that the fare structure will be gone. All you will know is that the NYC cab is metered, and the specific fare types and amounts will be shown on the interior video screens on the back of the driver’s seat.