NEW YORK—A taxi driver sees an alert pop up on a screen attached to his dashboard, signaling he has been digitally hailed. Distracted by the device, he crashes.
Another driver in a different area of Manhattan’s Central Business District (below 96th Street) sees the same alert but pulls over before accepting the “e-hail.” Five blocks and several minutes later, the passenger and driver are connected.
These two scenarios illustrate the intense debate surrounding a thorny issue that has engaged key groups in the city’s taxicab and for-hire car industry.
The only way to hail yellow cabs now is by throwing a hand up on the street and hoping one passes by that is empty.
Livery and black cabs on the other hand, accept prearranged pickups both through phone calls and smartphone applications (apps), but are not legally allowed to pick up street hails.
