As of today, taxi owners in New York City are required to purchase Nissan's NV200 minivan — the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow — when replacing their current vehicles, NY1 reports.
This marks the conclusion of a fraught, four-year journey: New York first selected the NV200 in May of 2011, but was met with resistance, controversy, and legal challenges over then-mayor Michael Bloomberg's demand that taxi companies upgrade to the NV200 quickly.
The small van, which looks oddly narrow and tall when it's ambling down Manhattan's streets and avenues, has also gotten knocks for being a pure-gas vehicle (not a hybrid or an electric) and for not being accessible to wheelchairs out of the box. (Nissan is working on an electric version of the van called the e-NV200, but Taxi of Tomorrow specifications don't call for it.)
Inside, the NV200 is arguably a decent upgrade from the aging Ford Crown Victorias that it will replace, featuring sliding doors, passenger airbags, rear climate controls, and an electronic intercom to the driver — if you want to have a private conversation, you can just turn it off.
The new taxis have been available to purchase for some time, but this marks the first time that owners must buy them — they were merely an option before. But the rule change comes just as New York's traditional taxi base is under unprecedented attack from popular ride services like Uber and Lyft, which could mean that NV200s won't flood the streets in the same way taxis of the past did; the industry is hoping that a new e-hailing app will help turn those fortunes around.
UBER TOLD DRIVERS TO TAKE SHOWERS, now it's being used against them in court.
When you get in an Uber, you hope your driver has showered and the car is not a mess. However, the fact that Uber once told its drivers not to "forget to shower" is now part of a key legal battle that the ride-hailing company faces.
2 comments:
Nissan could have been a trade saviour, but as it would affect the Mayors Chinese buddies investment at Coventry, TfL were under orders to make sure it never passed conditions of fitness
You can just smell the corruption
Yes, you really can smell the corruption... But what is the best course of action ? Maybe we should get together on mass and sit in silice; this strategy will really hurt Boris Johnson and TFL. Sitting in silence is a thumb suckers strategy; add a bag of flour or a couple of dozen eggs to the idea and maybe we would get somewhere !
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