Two Questions - NYC Cabs & Personal Protection

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>My D is in NYC as I write. She arrived at LaGuardia just before midnight on Wednesday. She called today to fill me in on how her auditions went yesterday. I was very unhappy to learn from her that when she arived at the airport, it was too late to catch a shuttle to Penn Station. She said she asked around 10 people if they knew which bus she could catch to get there. No one knew or was willing to stop and talk to her. She finally decided that she’d have to travel the expensive way - by cab. No yellow cabs came by, so she tells me she resigned herself to riding in a black cab. She told me that she learned on her previous audition trips to NYC that the black cabs are privately owned and are much more expensive. After a lengthy wait, she finally caught a black cab. The driver told her that he’d charge her $40.00 to take her to Penn Station. He asked for his money when she got in the cab. Shortly after they left the airport the driver began accosting her. Basically he told her that if she’d sleep with him, he’d take her all the way to her destination on Staten Island and refund her money! D said no way. He got more and more insistent. D kept repeating that she was not interested in his proposition and wanted to be taken only as far as Penn Station. The guy finally got the message. He got angry, stopped the cab in a bad neighborhood, and tossed my D’s bags into the street. He sped off so quickly that D could not get his cab number. She says that she was lucky that he had let her out within a couple of blocks of Penn Station and she walked there without further incident. Luckily, she’d been to Penn Station on previous trips to NYC and knew where she was. My husband and I told her to call the police to report what happened, even though she has no way of identifying the cab the guy was driving.</p>

<p>Now for my questions. Is it true that only yellow cabs in NYC are regulated? Do the privately owned cab drivers charge whatever they think they can get away with? Do any of you have any sensible suggestions for self-protection for a young woman travelling alone? D has to fly into LaGuardia by herself next week on the same flight she took this week. She’ll be arriving once again just before midnight. I’m concerned that she may find herself in a bad situation again.</p>

2

<p>Wow…that is a truly awful situation. At LaGuardia there are usually a lot of airport employees directing you to ONLY take the yellow cabs and giving out information about transportation (there’s even a little booth that’s 24 hours). And there are always policemen waving away the black cabs. Yes, that is true the yellow cabs are the only regulated ones and the private cabs can charge as much as they want. $40.00 is actually pretty cheap though. I usually land in NYC around the same time your daughter will be, and I’m there almost every month. I take the M60 or the Q33 for $2.00 (needs to be in change) and it drops me off in front of Columbia University (directly in front on the subway) and I take the 1,2,3 to where ever I need to be. If she does decide to do this, she can ask the bus driver where her stop is, because when the bus is close to her stop the driver will usually tell her.</p>

<p>There’s actually a big line and area where the yellow cabs all go to. If she does decide to take a yellow cab, you can tell her to find another woman in the line and ask if she wants to share. I’ve done this before too, since it is a flat rate we just split it and it makes me feel safer.
Hope this helped!</p>

3

<p>I’m just sitting here with my mouth hanging open! What a scary situation! Thank God she is all right. And that she is smart enough to have handled the situation. Sounds like above poster has given you some good advice.</p>

4

<p>Wow that is scary. I’m in NYC all the time and primarily use subways but I’ve been in the yellow cabs a few times, obviously never had a problem. In my opinion unless you called ahead for a private car service to pick you up the airport, DON’T get into a car that is not a licensed yellow cab! I’ve seen enough films and heard enough stories to know never to do that, heck I don’t even like taking cabs for the same reasons. You just never know who’s behind the wheel! </p>

<p>I’ve never been in Astoria but if the same thing would happen again (she missed the shuttle) perhaps you could just leave the airport and try hailing a cab on the street? I don’t know the area there or how many bags she would have but if she’s packing light it’s an option. I know that Port Authority has a cab booth where, if there are no cabs, they’ll call and have a cab come right to Port Authority for you. I’m sure that the airport has a service like that, you just need to ask around.</p>

5

<p>Call Carmel. They were very reasonable. Very reliable. and nice drivers. I have a friend who is a Native NYer…I have passed your message to her via email for her thoughts</p>

6

<p>What a harrowing story! Thank you for sharing it. My D is probably attending an NYC school and city safety has been something we’ve given a lot of thought to.</p>

<p>My D has been traveling to LaGuardia a few times alone this year, and makes a bee line to the covered taxi stand just outside the baggage claim area, where there are always tons of cabs and an attendant. Before she went to Chicago Unifieds, we went online to check a diagram of O’Hare to see where the public transportation was located. The idea of sharing a cab with another female is a good one.</p>

<p>I have always heard from NY friends to only use regulated yellow cabs or private car service on reccommendation. And to try to jot down the cab number in case you lose something in the cab.</p>

<p>All NYC cabs were recently required to install a GPS screen in the back of the front seat. You can touch the screen and see exactly where you’re going on a street map – so no more meandering rides.</p>

<p>Something I do still have to get onto my D about – USE THE SEAT BELTS in the taxi! Even if they are crummy and a pain to find.</p>

<p>Now all I have to worry about is her taking the subway alone.</p>

7

<p>In Staten Island, we used Clove Hill car service several times at Wagner’s recommendation and they were excellent.</p>

8

<p>Honestly NYC, as a whole, is very safe compared to what most people think. Due to the cleaning up of Times Square and the coming down on crime in recent years, most of the crime has moved away from Manhattan to surrounding states (my neighborhood for one, unfortunately). Crime is everywhere you just need to be careful and smart. I’ve walked around and used the subways at all times of the night and I’ve never been bothered once. Some of my older friends that live in the city still worry about me but I feel comfortable walking around at night, something I would never do in my hometown. There are always stores open and people walking around at all hours. I stay where it’s lit and never go down darkened areas by myself. You wouldn’t believe how many people take the subways sometimes at 1, 2 or 3 in the morning! People may try talking to you that you may not be comfortable with but I found just nodding and ignoring them does wonders, they’ll leave you alone. </p>

<p>Granted there’s always a possibilty of something happening, at most you could get mugged. But myself and no one I know has ever had that happened to them and they’ve lived and worked in the city for years. If you keep your wits about you, stay smart and most importantly don’t walk around in a state of fear of everything, you’ll truly be fine.</p>

9

<p>I can’t believe your story, Dancersmom! How scary! My daughter attends school and lives in NYC and I am going to read her your story as a reminder. I know this has been mentioned by other posters, but from the start of all my daughter’s trips from our home to NYC I have reminded her to NEVER take a cab that isn’t from the cab line. (yellow cabs) The cab your daughter took are always present at the airport and they try to get you to take their cabs and to the unsuspecting travelor, they look fine and people take them up on their services.<br>
Just as an FYI, I feel NYC is quite safe. I actually feel better with my D there than here at home driving around with friends! But, I remind her to be aware of her surroundings, etc. (Just as a person should in any city they are in.)<br>
I feel so bad that your daughter had to go through a horrible, frightful experience and thank God she is unharmed.</p>

10

<p>I am so sorry that your daughter had that awful, frightening experience and so happy that she is okay. I’m the daughter of a 30 year veteran NYC Yellow Checker Taxi driver and I’d like to share that the ONE thing that was drummed into my head growing up was “never take a gypsy cab”. Not only are they unregulated, but they are often uninsured. Frankly it’s akin to hitchiking to get in anything than a yellow cab! I know it goes against the rules, but in the interest of safety, I hope this website link can remain; if not just google: NYC Yellow Checker Taxicabs, and it should come up.</p>

<p>[New</a> York City Taxi Cabs](<a href=“http://www.ny.com/transportation/taxis/]New”>New York City Taxi Cabs)</p>

<p>One thing you can do if getting in even a yellow medallion cab alone, as an extra measure of safety is quickly jot down the medallion # on the light on the top of the roof. When you get in the cab, call mom, dad, or a friend on your cell phone and tell them the medallion number. Hearing that being done, should keep a driver on their best behavior – they can be traced through that medallion!</p>

<p>Good luck and be safe!</p>

11

<p>dancersmom, I’m so sorry for your D and you to have had to experience this. I think there are two different issues here, gypsy cabs (black cabs) and safety. I’m not sure that there is inherently any more danger in taking a gypsy cab than there is in taking a yellow cab but it likely WILL cost you more. At LaGuardia, as others have mentioned, there is a specific taxi stand, just outside the doors from baggage claim (to the left), with an attendant. I have never arrived at LGA when that stand hasn’t been attended, nor when there haven’t been yellow cabs. I think perhaps she must have been down at the opposite end of that level. There are signs inside the building which will direct you to the correct spot.</p>

<p>The $40 cost is not that out of line for a cab in to midtown, although as stated the black cabs can charge what they want. The idea of having a car service meet her, which to me, at that time of night, sounds like a good idea, might ease your mind. Tel Aviv is one we often use. 777-7777 or 1-800-222-9888. Their airport charge is approximately $31 but might be more that late at night.</p>

<p>[Tel-Aviv</a> Limo & Car Service in New York City, NYC - Limousine Service New York - Airport Transportation to New Jersey, Connecticut & Pennsylvania](<a href=“http://www.telavivlimo.com/]Tel-Aviv”>http://www.telavivlimo.com/)</p>

<p>We’ve used a ‘gypsy’ cab occasionally when the taxi stand line has been too long and when we’ve had more than 3 people. We’ve never had a problem, but I wouldn’t advise someone to do that on their own, especially so late at night. Of course, there’s always a possibility of the driver of a yellow cab being inappropriate, too. Safety, anywhere, is never a guarantee. Sharing a cab into Manhattan with another woman in the taxi line is wise, if it is possible. The other thing I would look into, if possible, is to arrange flights which don’t arrive so late. I wouldn’t recommend to my D (who lived in NYC for four years in college) to be taking public transit from the airport at that time of night if she was alone. Spending a few bucks more on a cab is worth it, in my opinion.</p>

<p>Lastly, the idea suggested that she leave the airport and look for a cab? Never do that. And the seatbelts? Always, always wear them. This shouldn’t be an issue for anyone, in my opinion. Kids, and adults, should be used to wearing them every time they get into a car. There’s a reminder message on most yellow cabs, recorded often by a city celebrity. The way that the cabs drive in the city is such that you are risking life and limb anyway, so be sure to wear your seatbelt! :)</p>

12

<p>dancersmom,</p>

<p>I just spoke to my D who goes into NYC all the time from Montclair State U.</p>

<p>She was horrified by your D’s story and suggested the website hopstop.com. Apparently if you enter your location and where you want to go it gives you multi-options in transportation. She had to take a black cab when she first got to school last fall from the Brooklyn to campus when she got stuck there and it cost her a fortune. She learned some lessons from the experience, but fortunately nothing occurred other than getting ripped off financially.</p>

13

<p>Thank you to all who replied. I will be passing along all of your information to my D. I feel that D was indeed very lucky that nothing worse than being frightened occurred.</p>

14

<p>dancersmom -
How HORRIBLE!!! I’m so so so glad your D is ok.<br>
I too, repeated this story to my D’s as lessons learned.<br>
(We were just in NY and had turned one of those drivers down.)</p>

15

<p>Dancersmom, thank you for passing along HopStop.com! What a great tool, and I love the fact that it even shows a 360 degree photo of where you need to go. (We’ve already mapped out time and distance to the voice teacher’s apt. from three possilbe NYC campuses.)</p>

<p>We were thinking of getting some sort of personal GPS for D for graduation, then decided an iPhone might be more efficient. This website will definitely come in handy. D hates to look like a tourist squinting at subway maps, even though a couple of fun young women we met on the last trip laughed and said, “Hey, we LIVE here, and we gotta look at the map!”</p>

16

<p>Oops, I just realized we have a Dancermom and a Dancersmom! Like having Dramama and Dramamama! <g></g></p>

17

<p>To make us even more confusing, our real first names sound the same. I’m Kathy and Dancermom is Cathy:).</p>

18

<p>I’ll add another option to the list. My D lives in NYC (although she is currently in Denver playing the role of Cathy in a five month run of "The Last Five Years) and always uses Andrea Car Service (718-392-9191). We have also used them when we have gone to visit. They have always been punctual, clean, honest, and reasonably priced.
She said she would never use the black cabs as they are sketchy at best.</p>

19

<p>dancersmom, I am so sorry to hear of the ordeal that your D went through and am thankful it turned out fairly OK. She’ll know from now on that at the NYC airports, there are taxi stands and to use regular cabs. My D goes to college in NYC and flies home maybe 2-3 times per year. To get her TO the airport, we line up Carmel Car Service (see their website). There is a flat rate to each airport and they pick you up at the door and you can line it up yourself. You could line them up to pick you up AT the airport as well but we don’t do it in that direction and just have her take a taxi at the airport at the cab stand.</p>

20

<p>I know some of your daughters might object to this but I’m going to throw it out here for those who are unaware. Sprint (and probably other carriers) has a parent locator service. You can go on the web and within seconds are shown a map showing where they are within a block. I know of several girls who have been abducted that have been located this way. An acquaintance of my D’s who lives here would probably be alive today if she had this set up on her phone. After this girl was a victim of a stranger abduction my D had no objection to setting up the service and even felt safer knowing I would always know where she was. </p>

<p>In January my D was in the tullies at night and had a car accident. She called me shook up and because she didn’t know the area couldn’t tell me where she was. I went online and was able to locate her within seconds and drive to her location. </p>

<p>If your daughters are hesitant about using this service you can inform them that when you check on their location the phone sends a message to their cell telling them you have checked. So they would be aware if you were abusing the service in locating them.</p>