Forget about getting around New York City if you're in a wheelchair. About two percent of more than 13,000 yellow cabs are accessible. (Compare us to London, where every taxi can handle wheelchairs.)


What's holding New York up?


The taxi industry is resisting accessible cabs - just like the auto industry resisted seat belts, airbags and higher fuel economy. But the City regulates 100% of the taxi industry. So it's time for a mandated, gradual conversion to accessible vehicles for the entire fleet. Otherwise, 49 out of every 50 yellow cabs in the fleet will remain out of reach for most wheelchair users.


It is curious that America is normally considered to be the bastion of deregulation. People look at the banking industry in America and how that is only loosely regulated and imagine that the same ethos of letting the ‘market decide’ and unfettering commercial interests from bureaucracy must exist in other sectors of the economy. Well it does, but not in the case of the taxi industry in New York. In this case, the State of New York imposes strict regulations on taxi drivers and taxi firms. These regulations are designed to protect the customer but sometimes they force the drivers’ salaries below the minimum wage. Moreover, the authorities of New York refuse to make wheel chair access mandatory for new taxis.


Taxis in New York City transport 240 million people a year, making up 25% of all the transport in the city. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) set regulations concerning nearly all aspects of the taxi business. The TLC sets fares, issues licenses, imposes fines etc. At the same time most taxi drivers are classified as independent contractors and are thus not protected by employment laws.


There are four types of taxi in New York: yellow cabs, livery cabs, dollar vans and black cars. Yellow cabs dominate midtown and down town. There are 13,000 yellow cabs in operation and about 25,000 drivers. The drivers either rent their cab from a corporate garage, own their vehicle or rent from another driver to do a second shift. There are serious financial and regulatory impediments to owning one’s own yellow cab. Not the least of which are that many drivers are illegal immigrants.


Livery cabs dominate uptown Manhattan. These cabs are on a phone call hire basis only. Drivers get a weekly fee. Again many drivers rent out their livery cabs for a second shift. There are about 30,000 livery cabs in service.


Dollar vans are larger vehicles that cater for people in outlying districts and boroughs. The TLC has licensed 85 dollar vans but many more operate without licenses. Most drivers of dollar vans work independently and foot all the costs associated with their business.


Black cars provide business class services to Wall Street companies. There are about 12,000 black car drivers. Fares are often paid by vouchers issued by companies.


The margins are very tight for most taxi drivers. Increasingly drivers are legal and illegal immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic and Haiti as well as other countries. The drivers have little cash behind them and so find it next to impossible to save enough to buy their own cab.


Yellow Cab drivers after subtracting costs such as rental, gas and maintenance make between $400 and $500 a week (2004 figures). At slow times yellow taxi drivers can make as little as $22 a day.


Livery cab drivers have large insurance premiums to pay. In 2004 the average annual salary for a livery cab driver was $20,000. Dollar van drivers have a large income but high overheads and make roughly the same as livery cab drivers.

On average drivers work 12 to 16 hours a day. They cannot raise fares ? they must apply to the TLC to do so. When fuel prices go up the TLC has rejected most applications for fare increases. This means the drivers’ net salaries go down.


On top of this, drivers because of their independent contractor status receive no medical, employment or pension benefits. Factoring this in to the above figures it is clear to see that New York taxi drivers are some of the worst paid workers in New York - indeed their salaries often fall below the minimum wage.


Looking at the issue of wheelchair access for the disabled to use taxis it is clear that the financial burden for refits cannot fall on the drivers themselves. At present only 2% of yellow cabs have wheel chair access. This is not going to change unless the TLC approaches the financial entities that do make money from the taxi industry in New York. These are the corporate garages that rent out cabs to the drivers.


Another solution is to introduce subsidies or low interest loans either directly to the drivers or to the owners of the taxis. At the same time set a deadline for the conversion of all cabs to full access for the disabled. The owners that fail to comply could have their licenses revoked.


It is clear that the money has to come from somewhere to make cabs and especially yellow cabs accessible to the handicapped in wheelchairs. It is equally clear that most of the drivers themselves are victims of an unfair system and do not have the financial resources to foot the bill for conversions.


Empowering the Disabled Through Education Excellence


Disabled persons should be made aware of the online tools dedicated to their academic success.  One recently launched tool is called the GPABot.

Are you a high school student, or the parent of a student, wondering how to evaluate your chances with the admission procedures of a college or university? Using a gpa calculator can help you track the expectations raised by the student’s records. It provides the simplest means for students and parents to understand where the student ranks, and where improvement can be achieved.

A gpa calculator provides users with the Grade Point Average in the standardized number form most college admission offices use to evaluate students applying for admittance to the school. However the grades are prepared during the student’s high school years, there are means by which they can be adequately converted to the standard GPA. The object of a gpa calculator is to give the student and his or her parents a useful indicator of where the student stands, in order to better prepare for the challenge of college studies.

When the student knows how colleges and universities will look at the grades on his or her transcript, they gain a surer sense of achievement in their work. By taking away the mystery of how their grades will be regarded, the high school students can plan on how to raise their grade point average. With the goal of a higher standing in the ranks of applying students, students and parents who use the tool of a gpa calculator can better plan courses of study for the student. Such calculators can even help determine how much more work is needed, as well as what sort of grades, in order to lift the student’s GPA into an even higher rank.

Grade point averages are frequently used as a tool for evaluating potential employees as well. Knowing how the student’s education can translate into that useful number is useful when planning careers. The simplest tool from bringing those grade numbers to life is a gpa calculator.

How the Diabled Can Get Control of Their Personal Debt


People with physical disabilities face plenty of unique challenges in their daily life.  Grappling with personal debt shouldn’t be one of them.  A new website has recently been launched that can help them understand their personal debt – The PaymentBot.

The payment calculator is a wonderful too that enables people to know what to expect in terms of loan payments. It usually involves the input of all the details pertaining to the loan you have taken then automatic ally calculating the results. It is usually a good idea to be very forthcoming when it comes to giving the required amounts in order to avoid getting the wrong answer. An inaccurate answer will cause you problems down the line because you will not be making loan repayments correctly.

One of the PaymentBot details you will be required to give involves the purchase price. The price is a term used to describe the original value of the home or property you intend to buy. Another piece of information you will be required to input is the principal amount. This amount is the amount of the loan that you have borrowed from your lenders. It can also be used to describe the starting balance at the beginning of each period of payment of a compound interest rate loan. At times, this amount may be similar to the purchase price while at other times it may vary.

The loan term is the period that it will take for you to pay off your loan. The payment type on the other hand is used to determine the frequency with which you will be paying off the loan. It may be monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Most payment calculators like those that are found at paymentbot.org will also require you to give details related to your interest rates. It is important for you to differentiate between compound and simple interest rates in order to avoid getting the wrong results from PaymentBot. Getting the right calculator to make your payments will go a long way in helping you get the correct results and finding the most suitable website to calculate your amortization rates will ensure that.

Cabs With Built in Wifi


Let’s face it the days when we used to go home, switch on our computer and wait while the modem dialled out for an internet connection are well gone.  We expect to be connected everywhere at any time.  I remember walking up a Scottish mountain a couple of weeks ago and realised it was the first time I couldn’t reach the internet for the first time in ages!

The real difference has been mobile phones of course, but plenty of people carry around tablets and notebooks too. In a big city like London or New York, being connected is an expectation – sitting in a form of transport isolated is a real issue for many.  The average taxi ride is estimated at about 20 minutes but obviously this can change depending on which city you’re in.  A few traffic jams can change that figure very quickly!

So what do people want from their taxis and can it be provided.  There have been various surveys and two of the most wanted services are access to a stable internet connection and the facility to charge a phone.  Remember during a taxi ride, over 80% of people will check their emails or messages on their phones.  

It’s happening now in London and indeed many big cities in the world, where rival cab firms are looking for an advantage over each other.  The model in London is advertiser funded, that is the wireless access is provided free and advertisements are run in the cab in order to pay for the service.  THis means that effectively your internet access is sponsored by a particular advertiser.  It’s a  great move for brands too as generally the average taxi passenger will have a high income and very attractive to many advertisers.

It’s one of the ways that you can see  how the internet can be used to develop a cities infrastructure and make it a modern, exciting place to run businesses.   The infrastructure makes life easier especially for advanced companies who’s employees make extensive use of the internet.  Contrast with Middle Eastern countries who are blocking encrypted communication and monitoring/filtering the internet.  It’s much harder to run a hi-tech business in these countries, that trivial message – video not available, message you may get in Oman or Saudi Arabia – might not be that  important but wait when you can’t send your customer his project report by VPN or access the company intranet.

Taxis are a great way to extend the reach of the wireless network and the forward looking cities of the world are embracing the concept with eagerness.

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Getting To My Appointment On Time


I have never had to much time for taxis or taxi drivers themselves. I was always under the impression that they were after a tip and though that just because they got paid to drive they had more right to be on the road than every one else. That was until last week.

I had been booked into a clinic to get a mole removed, it was nothing serious but the doctor had advised me that it might be a good idea so I went online and clicked about and it turned out to be a lot easir than I thought it would be so just booked myself in here. The morning came and I jumped in my car to set off and the thing would not start, I had just filled it up too so I was even more angry about that. Having booked time off work for this I did not want to miss it so I phoned through to ghget a taxi. I thought I would be late because there was a huge traffic jam caused by temporary lights but my driver knew I was rushing and he went a different way that cut a lot of time off the journey.

Thankfully I made it in time and because the procedure was so easy the days off that I booked have been a great chance for me to relax. I also would like to mention that I don’t think I will curse a taxi again…maybe.

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Innovative Web Design Pricing Elements for New York Taxi Websites


 

If you are a part of the two and a half billion-dollar New York Taxi industry, obviously you will want a larger share of the pie. Using the Internet is one of the more effective ways of doing so, and the web design pricing may have to include the costs of some innovative web features.

Taxi Apps

Just about every potential customer of New York taxis are on the road, and it makes sense that an app designed for mobile gadgets are used for the convenience of both the driver and the passenger. Traditionally, people in New York hail a cab by raising an arm or by whistling, but now it is entirely possible to flag a taxicab through a mobile device.

It may save you just a few minutes or even seconds in the time it takes to find and hail a cab, but every second saved can be very helpful. Passengers can save a lot of time, and cabbies—who spend almost half of their time empty looking for fares—can use their time more profitably as well. The increased convenience may fully justify the cost of the web design pricing.

Standard Information

Apps can be a great addition to standard information usually found on websites. This information usually includes contact numbers, of course, although you can be more creative by including probable arrival times. The site also has to be able to respond to various mobile screen sizes. Such features can increase the cost of the website, but then they can also make your site more distinct and more useful.

Taxis have long been a part of the New York scene, but now they can keep up with the 21st century through the use of modern mobile technology. The cost of the web design pricing can easily be recovered by the substantial increase of passengers your taxi company will have.

Road to Wedding Party


 

On Sunday I got an important invitation it was my roommate when  I was in the boarding school. So I didn’t want to miss that moment. She asked me to be there on  time when they  say the weeding promise. I tried to get there as soon as posible after working. But unfortunately I got  a flat tyre. It’s imposible to get there on time if I had to wait the mechanic finished repairing my car.

I decided to take a taxi. I said to my driver to drive faster because I don’t have much time. On the way I was really surprise and made a little scream remembering that I forgot to feed my cat. I was really worry because there was nobody at home. I was really grateful for the advice my driver given to me, he suggested me to have best automatic pet feeder, so I don’t need to be worry anyimore when I am not home to feed my cat.

Battle of the Cabs


There’s a war going on in New York, so be careful you don’t get caught in the middle.  It involved two powerful sides – the black and the yellow cabs that serve the streets of New York.  It involves the computer programs which allow anyone who wants to hail a cab to do it on their smartphone.  With the right app.  The black cabs have been operating this particular piece of software for many years, but now the yellow cabs want in on the action.

Sounds as though it might be straight forward doesn’t it?  But this is New York and things don’t work out like that, the black cabs don’t want to share this particular facility and are suing.  The yellow cabs are of course suing right back.

It’s not the first time the opposing sides have clashed.  A few years ago there was a big row about hailing non-yellow taxis from the street outside of Manhattan.  That too got nasty and needed state intervention to finish it.

For most of us we really couldn’t care about which cab can do what.  The application is something that makes life easier for customers and that should be available for all.  Visitors and residents of New York would be better serviced by all taxis being equal and having access to any advantage possible.   I was watching the London news yesterday with a feature on their black cabs and to be honest they are much better run than the New York variety.  I am able to watch this over the internet using this special software in case you’re interested - http://www.uktv-online.com/.

Lets forget about all this squabbling and start putting the customer and not the profit motive first.   New York would be better served doing this and I suspect everyone apart from the lawyers would probably end up making more money anyway!

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How the World Deals with Alt Medicine


Alternative medicine is definitely taking off across the world isn’t it? I was talking to the chiropractor in one of the best San Diego chiropractic center’s around the other day and he told me something interesting to be sure-he said that chiropractic care is dramatically influenced by what is happening in alternative medicine in other parts of the world.

It was interesting because here in the United States of America we consider chiropractic care to be part of modern medicine right?  I mean, we don’t think of chiropractors as shamin healers right?  Don’t you find it interesting that chiropractors themselves are fascinated by those native healers that we all discount?  I bring all of this up for a simple reason-how do we work as a society to break down these barriers and allow even further access to medical care?

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Take Advantage of Savings to Pay for Taxi Fares


Using an interest calculator on your savings may be a great way for you to make some important financial decisions that would help your family to do better in the future. If you are married, you will need to determine if your husband or wife should also be working on a regular basis. Additionally, you will need to understand where you stand financially when the person is not able to find work. These things are impossible for you to understand if you do not know the value of your savings account to the overall picture of your life. When you place your information into a calculator, you are going to get a better picture of how you would be impacted if only one person were working in your home.

One of the most important uses of an effective interest calculator would be to guide you in selecting a savings account that meets your needs. If you have been seeing small returns for a period of time, you are probably getting a very low rate of interest. However, you would not be able to remedy this situation unless you know just how low it is. After you have the under, you would then be able to look for a better option. It is possible for your spouse to stay home while you work. However, you will need to make sure that you are taking full advantage of any money that you are putting away. A great calculator can help you to do this.

Should I Start My Own Taxi Service?


Many people dream of starting a taxi company, as they imagine this will free them from the nine to five rat race and allow them to become their own boss. However, there are many pitfalls associated with running a taxi firm, so you should be cautious before embarking on such an endeavor.

In the first place, there is the question of finance. Unless you have exceedingly deep pockets, financial leasing may be on the cards. In other words, you will not own the cab you drive but lease it from someone else. Alternatively, you might want to consider a car loan, taxi loan, or some other kind of multi-purpose loan in order to finance the cost of purchasing your own vehicle.

When taking out car loan financing, you should be on the lookout for a good deal. You should be especially wary of rip-off operators who seek to sell loans with sky high interest rates. Also, if you cannot afford the cost of a new taxi cab, but you have some money saved, did you know that cheap cars can be obtained quite easily at low prices? Without question, used car financing is an easy way to get your hands on a vehicle with which to start up a taxi company. However, there are dangers associated with this.

Many of the used cars on sale nowadays may be a disaster waiting to happen. Some of them may be potential death traps on the road. At best, they may not be able to withstand the rigors of day to day operation as a taxi cab. For this reason, you should be very careful when purchasing used cars to run as taxis, as you could easily waste your money if you make the wrong choice.

All things considered, anyone who is contemplating starting a taxi company would be well advised to tread carefully before proceeding, because being a cab driver is no bed of roses.

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