Posted by Leonard Steinberg on April 9, 2011

Cabs in New York City have become expensive. Still they are not nearly as expensive as those in London or some other cities. I don’t particularly mind paying for this service as it is one that I find extremely convenient and efficient.

I had thought of getting a car and driver many years ago, and several colleagues in the Manhattan real estate industry have done so since. Sharon Baum is the most famous for her Rolls Royce. I opted otherwise as I prefer the convenience of stepping into the street, raising my arm and opening a door to the closest cab. I rent a car and driver when working with clients schlepping them around to see properties, and sometimes use one uptown, connecting downtonw with another via subway to avoid the traffic slowdown. Using cabs is far more environmentally conscious than owning a car + drive full time that is often left in front of a building idling while waiting, spewing pollution and making the Saudi’s richer. The problem starts when stepping into the cab itself….

Why is it that in the past 15 years, New York City is incapable of specifying a cab that is inhabitable?  Why should I pay the same for one cab where the seat is comfortable, the interior clean, and the driver sane as I do for the filthy cab where the seat is so tight you slice the tips of your shoes off and have to do Cirque du Soleil contortions to position yourself in the seat? It is a thorough disgrace that a world center in a first world country has such outrageously bad cabs.

If Mayor Bloomberg really wants to make his mark, PLEASE apply as much effort into upgrading our cab service as you do creating bike lanes (oh, and don’t get me started on those lawless bikers!).