NEW YORK—Beating odds of 1 in 22,600, Abdul Muhammad, 26, is the happy winner of free taxi rides for a year. The Bronx resident on Thursday won the enviable prize after filling the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s survey regarding the features New Yorkers would like to see in the new taxi design being planned for all city taxis.
“Part of the reason we got so many responses [to the survey], was because New Yorkers care about taxis,” said TLC Commissioner David Yassky. “But in part it was because The Design Trust [for Public Space] offered one survey respondent free taxi rides for a year.”
Beating out around 22,600 people, Mohammad now has a voucher for either one year of free rides or $5,000 in rides, whichever comes first.
A quarter of respondents said they use taxis daily. Taxi service in the city got mixed reviews. Most respondents to the survey described their current taxi experience as “average.”
Respondents found the fare too expensive and the taxi TV annoying. Commissioner Yassky responded by saying that he does not expect the prices to go down.
A majority of respondents indicated that what they like most about the current taxi service is the fact they can pay with a credit card, a feature that was implemented in all taxis in 2008. For future taxis, New Yorkers indicated they would like most for the taxis to be environmentally friendly and more comfortable.
As part of the survey, New Yorkers were asked which of the final three models in the Taxi of Tomorrow competition looks best: Karsan, Nissan, or Ford. Karsan’s model, with a see-through roof and unique design, was chosen.
But in order to be chosen as the winner, remarked Commissioner Yassky, other factors are also important, among them durability, low maintenance costs, and environmental impact. There is no set date for announcing the winner yet, though the new taxi is slated to hit the streets in 2014.
Muhammad works as a store manager is Westchester County. He owns a car, which he uses to drive to work every morning. When he goes out clubbing two or three times a week, he takes a taxi back to the Bronx. Now, he says, he will be able to take a taxi.
Muhammad saw the survey on the TLC website while helping his friend use the computer.
Muhammad was born in India, and moved to New York in 2005 with his mother and four of his siblings.
“Part of the reason we got so many responses [to the survey], was because New Yorkers care about taxis,” said TLC Commissioner David Yassky. “But in part it was because The Design Trust [for Public Space] offered one survey respondent free taxi rides for a year.”
Beating out around 22,600 people, Mohammad now has a voucher for either one year of free rides or $5,000 in rides, whichever comes first.
A quarter of respondents said they use taxis daily. Taxi service in the city got mixed reviews. Most respondents to the survey described their current taxi experience as “average.”
Respondents found the fare too expensive and the taxi TV annoying. Commissioner Yassky responded by saying that he does not expect the prices to go down.
A majority of respondents indicated that what they like most about the current taxi service is the fact they can pay with a credit card, a feature that was implemented in all taxis in 2008. For future taxis, New Yorkers indicated they would like most for the taxis to be environmentally friendly and more comfortable.
As part of the survey, New Yorkers were asked which of the final three models in the Taxi of Tomorrow competition looks best: Karsan, Nissan, or Ford. Karsan’s model, with a see-through roof and unique design, was chosen.
But in order to be chosen as the winner, remarked Commissioner Yassky, other factors are also important, among them durability, low maintenance costs, and environmental impact. There is no set date for announcing the winner yet, though the new taxi is slated to hit the streets in 2014.
Muhammad works as a store manager is Westchester County. He owns a car, which he uses to drive to work every morning. When he goes out clubbing two or three times a week, he takes a taxi back to the Bronx. Now, he says, he will be able to take a taxi.
Muhammad saw the survey on the TLC website while helping his friend use the computer.
Muhammad was born in India, and moved to New York in 2005 with his mother and four of his siblings.
