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New York City / New York Travel / Public Transportation / Taxis / Cabs / Cars / → All Tags

New Taxis for New York City to Make That Airport Ride Even Smoother

We knew that New York City had their eyes on a new design and model for their ubiquitous taxis, but now it looks like the plan is finally considered official.

Last week, the Taxi and Limousine commission approved the Nissan NV200 as the city’s new go to mode of transportation. It’s not going to be an instant upgrade for drivers and passengers, as the plan is to phase in around 13,000 of the new vehicles as older cabs are up for repair, replacement, and retirement.

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Travel Safety / LGA / Airports / Taxis / Crimes / New York City / → All Tags

Remember, Illegal Airport Taxis are Bad, Bad Things

"Be careful of pickpockets." "Avoid unmarked taxis." "Do not leave the airport with anyone approaching you about accommodation." All of these are common warnings you typically hear for international airports, but they really do apply for any airport (or train or bus stations), even domestic ones in the middle of a big US city.

For the moment, we'd like to focus on unmarked or illegal cab companies and the danger of them because a friend of ours, someone who travels only every so often and does not live in NYC, nearly fell into a bad situation with one this weekend, after arrival at NYC's LaGuardia Airport. This, despite the city's recent huge efforts to crack down on illegal cabs at airports and harrowing tales of tourists escaping a potential hostage situation.

Her story:

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Paris Travel / Transportation / Taxis / Free Stuff / Cars / → All Tags

Tuk-Tuk Taxis Have Arrived in Paris (and They're Free)

There’s plenty of cheap—and electric—cars roaming the streets in and around Paris these days, but now there’s a new type of public transportation arriving in the City of Lights. Tuk-Tuk taxis are most common over in Southeast Asia, but a fleet of free-to-use vehicles are now available to tourists and locals alike.

An optimistic entrepreneur has brought 20 or so of the vehicles into town, and there’s like 150 different places to jump aboard around the city. The operation is newly up and running, and the taxis are scheduled to do their thing each and every day of the week.

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Hong Kong Travel / Taxis / Awesome Stuff / Videos / → All Tags

Video Interlude: One Night as a Hong Kong Taxi Driver

Have you ever been to Hong Kong? If your answer is "yes," HIGH FIVE! If your answer is "not yet," then that's one place that should be moved toward the top of your list for 2012. We can't say enough good things about it, but perhaps one of the best is that, while the US is in the blustery throes of winter, Hong Kong is usually sitting pretty with 72-degree weather and sunshine.

And when that sun isn't shining, it's all about the dining and nightlife. the energy of which is captured by a new AFP time-lapse video, following a Hong Kong taxi driver on a typical graveyard shift.

Their YouTube settings don't allow for us to post it here, so you'll have to watch the brilliant video over at YouTube, but trust us that it's worth it. Just try to stay away from checking out flight deals to HKG after it.

iPhone Travel Apps / Free Stuff / Cairo Travel / Taxis / iPhone / Egypt Travel / Emergencies / → All Tags

Developers Make iPhone Apps Free to Help Travelers Stuck by Cairo Protests and US Snow

This may be a long shot, but for those whom it touches, it could be a lifesaver:

The maker of one of our favorite favorite iPhone Travel Apps (Tokyo Teleport), is offering their newest app, Cairo Taxi Guide, for FREE right now in order to aid any foreigners in Egypt who are perhaps not so well-versed in Arabic.

The premise is simple; search a glossary of landmarks, museums, and really everything else in Cairo in order to discover how to say that you'd like to go there, in Arabic. The app provides clear taxi cards to show to your driver, so that you aren't literally just taken for a ride. They've also released similar Taxi Guide apps, priced between $5.99 and $9.99 each, for Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

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Baseball Travel / Baseball / Sports Travel / Delta / Taxis / Boats / → All Tags

Delta Adds Free Water Taxis to Their Fleet for NYC Summer Baseball Games

Delta is sponsoring free rides to Mets and Yankees games this season, but they’re not doing it with their airplanes. The airline is teaming up with New York Water Taxi to offer complimentary transportation to Citi Field and Yankee Stadium for all home games. The Delta Baseball Water Taxi started this week, and it will run throughout the season.

The taxi leaves from Pier 11 at Wall Street at different times depending on when the games begins, and they even guarantee an on-time arrival 30 minutes before the opening pitch. However, that does mean you’ll probably miss batting practice. Baseball fans are welcome to overindulge on snacks and beer on the top deck of the taxi, and Delta is also stocking the boat with “Fly Ball” cocktails.

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Pedicabs / Manhattan Pedicab / Taxis / → All Tags

New York Pedicabs Go Legit, Lose Outlaw Status

I've never taken a pedicab in my life, but it seems I'm in the minority, as the number of the pedal-powered bicycle taxis has risen dramatically since their introduction to New York in 1995. Pedicabs have become so popular, in fact, that they're now regulated by the city, which requires vehicles to be insured, inspected, and fitted with seat belts, headlights, and hydraulic brakes. A story in The New York Times explains that the new regulations legitimize an industry that began as something of a fringe group, attracting actors, artists, and various downtown weirdos to a unique profession that could net them up to $1,000 a week and help them stay skinny and hot.

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Taxis / London Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Airport News / LHR / Airport Transportation / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic Believes In The Airport Taxi Share, Introduces 'Taxi2'

It's one of the oldest airport debates: whether or not to suck it up and take a taxi into town, or risk public transportation. For us, it depends on how large our party is and how much baggage we're dragging, but taxis are just so darn tempting.

Thankfully, Virgin Atlantic knows this and echoes our sentiments when they say: "we think it's crazy that people often wait in line and then get one taxi each. Most people go from the airport in a similar direction, so it's a great waste." Hallelujah, go tell it on the mountain, Virgin Atlantic! And since they're a giant company and all, they've decided to do something about this shared taxi conundrum by creating Taxi2, a social networking way to link up with other from your flight and share a ride with them into the city, cutting down on ride cost and maybe even making you a new friend.

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Oktoberfest / Taxis / Beer / → All Tags

A 750 Mile Taxi Ride for a Beer

The 2008 Oktoberfest in Munich finished up over the weekend, and one English man was extremely glad to be there. We're thinking he needs a few travel tips because to get to Munich from Portsmouth, England, he decided to catch a taxi.

To be fair, he did try to catch a plane first but missed his flight. Not wanting to miss the beer (and his buddy's buck's night), he persuaded a local cab driver to get him all the way to Munich for a fare of £1,700 (almost $3,000). And he paid in cash.

We're not recommending using this method of travel across Europe, but perhaps some of the European low-cost airlines could consider it as a back-up plan when their flights have some of those all-too-regular delays?

Related Stories:
· No Taxi Ride Too Long to Keep Man From Friends, Beer [Deutsche Welle]
· Beer Travel: Bavarian Premier Says Drinking Heaps is OK [Jaunted]
· Oktoberfest coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: smif]

Taxis / Tourists / Dumb Tourists / → All Tags

Dumb Tourist Travel: Norwegian Taxi Fare From Hell

We've done our fair share of ending up not exactly where we planned when traveling by bus or even taxi in foreign countries, but the Spanish couple who just spent a fortune on two long taxi rides in Norway have far exceeded our attempts.

Headed for Olden to re-join a cruise ship, the taxi driver misunderstood them--apparently--and took them to Halden instead, 380 miles away from their intended destination. They spent the night in a hotel there and only realized their mistake when no cruise-ship awaited them--and they taxied on to Olden. Round trip bill: €3,870 ($5,680) for a scenic trip between the northwest and the southeast of the country.

We wonder why the taxi driver didn't double check the destination, unless he deliberately tricked them; we also don't get why the Spanish couple didn't notice that the journey seemed to be taking a really, really long time. Then again, they were the cruising kind who usually just come ashore with a nametag, so perhaps their travel skills were lacking. In any case, they've given a couple of taxi drivers a big income boost.

Related Stories:
· $6,600 Cab Fare Lost In Translation [The Age]
· Norway Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Narisa]

Taxis / Olympics / Beijing Olympics / 2008 Olympics / Beijing Olympics 2008 / → All Tags

Beijing Travel: Cab Driver... Or Spy?

Watch what you say in that Beijing taxi: The Wall Street Journal says tens of thousands of cabs in the capital have been outfitted with small microphones and GPS trackers that can be used to spy on passengers and drivers.

Officials have asked cabbies to watch out for "suspicious behavior and odd packages," the paper reports, though it's doubtful that China has the ability to monitor every conversation in every one of Beijing's 70,000 taxis. Maybe that's why the city of Shenyang--where some soccer matches will be held--recruited 38,000 drivers to work as unofficial spies?

You won't be safe to gossip in secret once you step out of the cab, either. The State Department advises visitors that hotel and conference rooms could be bugged at any time, and every phone in the country, including cell phones, can be tapped.

Related Stories:
· Beijing Taxis Are Rigged for Eavesdropping [WSJ]
· Paranoia Travel: Get Spied on at This Scary German Bar [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Boris van Hoytema]

Green Travel / Taxis / Deals / → All Tags

Green Travel: Pedal Powered in Ireland

Next time you're in Dublin trying to get around the congested city center, just keep your eyes open for one of these brightly colored, blob shaped Ecocabs.

Looking like a hybrid golf cart and pedicab, the Ecocab is a pedal powered tricycle. They provide an easy green transportation option for making short distance trips through busy cities. (A battery back up is included, just in case the driver gets a little winded or encounters a big hill.)

The aerodynamic cab comfortably seats three passengers and is totally free. The service is sponsored by advertising, and all Ecocabs are wrapped with can't miss ads. The drivers are even dressed to match.

Ecocabs are also on the streets of Toronto, and full-fare versions are running in several other cities. In Dublin, the cabs run from 10 am to 7 pm, 7 days a week.

Related Stories:
· Ecocabs [Official Site]
· Pedal-Powered Taxis Deliver Free Love [Springwise]
· Ireland Travel coverage [Jaunted]