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.


Larger Scale Taxi Service


Finding a Taxi if you are in a wheelchair can be difficult enough. What if you have multiple people in your party who happen to be in wheel chairs? One thing we know that that the average person in a wheel chair ends up marrying someone else in a wheel chair at least four times as likely as someone without a disability.

Other than that, when you are living in New York, running a business does mean take Taxi’s from time to time.  My gift basket business means that sometimes I need to take a Taxi from place to place in order to make sure that things are delivered on time.

Fitting everything for my work into a Taxi is sometimes just as hard as fitting in multiple wheel chairs, if a Taxi company is ever even willing to give it a try.

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Tips for used car financing


Generally, most people are opting for used cars in place of new cars due to financial constraints. Unfortunately getting used car financing is harder than getting a car loan for a new car. Most creditors are not wiling to finance a car that its history is unknown to them. Nevertheless, you can achieve this by planning on your finances ahead of shopping for your car. If you have a good down payment, usually more than 10% and shop for your car with a car dealer, you are likely to get a loan with good rates.

It’s advisable to go for a pre approved loan due to its numerous advantages. These loans allow you to know what your limits are before getting yourself into trouble with the lenders. They also make it easy for you to pay your monthly installments as you can choose the amount you wish to pay per month. Most car sellers are not hesitant to sell cars to individuals with a good financing option. The rates of used car loans are slightly higher than those of new cars. The rates also differ from one company to another and it’s advisable to check a couple of lenders before settling on one.

When you find the perfect lender for your used car loan, place a 10% deposit. This does not only assure the lender that you are interested in the deal but also show commitment. If you have some savings, you can also place a larger down payment as your interest rates drop significantly and ensure your credit score is good. It’s advisable to choose a short period of time to repay the loan to avoid paying interest rates for a long time. Finally, shop with a dealer. There are lenders that will reduce your rates if you buy through a dealer. Some dealers will provide a partial warranty for their cars as well.

Read more for car loans in The Netherlands / Holland here @ http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/

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Tips for Taxi Cab Finance


For anybody who is contemplating pursuing a career as a taxi cab driver, one of the fundamental things that must be addressed is the matter of finance. Unless you are somewhat wealthy, it is unlikely that you will have sufficient ready cash to purchase a vehicle outright, so you will therefore be dependent on some form of car financing.

Financing the cost of a taxi cab can be addressed in different ways. For example, financial leasing is a popular way to go. This is a form of car rental. You pay a monthly fee to use the vehicle but it will never be yours to own in a month of Sundays. This is the cheapest way to go if you simply want to pay for the use of a taxi cab, in the hope that the fare money you take will comfortably exceed the cost of the lease fee and provide you with a living wage. For more information on used car financing in Holland, please visit our friends here: http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/autolening-voor-occasions-2/

The disadvantage of leasing is the same as that of renting a house or apartment, i.e. you will never own it. If you lack the funds to buy a cab outright, you can nevertheless go for a car loan, taxi loan, or indeed any kind of finance loan, and use the funds to purchase the vehicle of your dreams.

For those who are on a very tight budget and who do not wish to incur large debts, cheap cars could be the way to go. Used car loan financing will allow you to get on the road at a cheaper price than if you buy a brand new car. On the other hand, used cars have a tendency to break down more frequently, and they may not be up to the demands of taxi cab operation seven days per week. Therefore you should be cautious when making that all-important used car choice.

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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.

Benefits of taxi and car financing


New or used car financing is considered one of the best ways to purchase a car or even a taxi without experiencing financial strain. Many financial institutions whether online or at their physical locations offer different types of car financing to be able to meet the needs of their customers. Most times the purchase of a car either for personal use or the family through a loan is a decision that has been considered for a long time and the best financing option is usually the one that is taken up.

Car loan financing  has a number of benefits attached to it that potential car or taxi owners can take advantage of to finally have a vehicle that they call their own. Some of these benefits include:

First, there is no need to pay a lump sum amount at the initial purchase of the car or taxi with many sellers allowing the completion of the payment by installments. The installments which are usually paid on a monthly basis lessen the financial burden on the individual purchasing the vehicle.

Second, buying a car or taxi using the help of financial institutions allows potential car or taxi owners to buy vehicles that are far above their budget (this can also be without down payment). The payment plan which is done through installments spreads the cost and can even lessens it when the income of an individual increases. When income increases the loan can be cleared much faster if that option is in the loan contract. In Netherlands this form of procedure is known as huurkoop auto zonder aanbetaling, which a popular form of car financing in Netherlands as done by Volkswagen AG (unlike Peugeot that has a low credit rating). Read more on this topic from our expert friends: http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/huurkoop-auto-zonder-aanbetaling/

Finally, applications for car financing are much easier to obtain from a bank than a normal loan especially when one’s credit score is not favorable. Therefore, it is possible to buy a taxi or car using loans from varied institutions that offer them irrespective of an individual’s credit score.

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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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Where to get car financing with a poor credit score


Many people who own cars today never bought them on cash or savings. At most times, the financial institutions assist them with car financing. What if you messed up your credit score? Do you still qualify for a car loan? Some financial institutions will give you a big no on this one. Nevertheless, with the increased number of lender institutions as well as people with poor credit, it’s possible to get car financing even with a poor credit score. Here is how you can qualify for one.

First of all, you need to look for a bad credit car loan program. In The Netherlands it is a called autolening zonder BKR toetsing. For more interesting information (in Dutch you can read the source article here: http://geldlenenvooreenauto.com/huurkoop-auto-zonder-bkr-toetsing/). At most times, you will find high interest rates for people with bad credit scores. Nevertheless, you can as well reduce the interest rates by using a sub prime lender. Since buying a car is a big decision to make, make sure you are at least financially stable and can clear the loan in a given time period. Using a search engine online, you will be able to see thousands of lenders who are ready to service your loan. Make sure you check for lenders in your City or state for easy access.

Needless to say, there a numerous websites offering these services and some may be scams. Therefore, it’s good to look out for reputable websites before applying for a loan. Using the web platform to apply for a loan is as easy as getting candy from a kid. You are required to fill in a form and submit it for review. Once they are done with reviewing your form, they contact you with the loan details later. Due to huge competition, some of the lenders have special programs as well as lower interest rates; therefore look out for the best.

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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.

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