Yesterday’s Taxi of Tomorrow, Today! (Whether You Like It or Not.)
2nd September 2015
The success of Uber and other ride-booking companies in New York City has highlighted just how antiquated the services of the taxicab industry, a municipally enforced monopoly, are. It’s also demonstrated riders’ preference for choice in transportation.
But yesterday a new rule from the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) that gives riders and drivers less choice in yellow cabs went into effect. The TLC now mandates that all new and replacement yellow taxis, with limited exceptions for alternatively fueled and handicap-accessible vehicles, be the same Nissan van for the next 10 years.
The nice thing about being a government is that you can create monopolies, and the nice thing about government monopolies is that you can force people to spend their money your way.