Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

After a disappointing debut of the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s share-a-cab program last week, many were left scratching their heads about the low turnout.  DNAinfo looked a little closer and now has one very good reason for the low number of taxi shares… the Upper West Side taxi share sign is on the wrong block!  While the pick-up location on the Upper West Side is officially at 72nd and Columbus, the street sign for the group ride pick-up spot is actually at 73rd, which has led to confusion on the part of riders and some anger on the part of Community Board 7 and other city agencies. After being questioned about the sign, the Taxi and Limousine Commission referred DNAinfo to the Department of Transportation, which installed the sign. The DOT did not return calls for comment. On top of this strange sign placement, CB7 is pulling an “I-told-you-so” about the location, saying that the location has high traffic congestion, is close to subway stops at both Broadway and Central Park West, and is a loading zone in which retail stores rely on curb space for deliveries (the sign was hidden behind a delivery truck attempting to unload when DNAinfo checked it out). The community board recommended stops at Riverside Boulevard and the Riverside South complex as an alternative.

The share-a-cab program is available on weekdays from 6:00 am to 10:00 am, with pick-up stands at the UWS location along with one at 72nd and 3rd Avenue and one at 57th and 8th. The final stop is at 42nd and Park Avenue, but riders can pay the flat fee ($4 each from the UWS) to be dropped off anywhere on Park Avenue before the final stop.

Filed under: News, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog
Tags: Crosstown, Share-a-Cab, Taxi and Limousine Commission