By Trevor Reichman
80% of New York City residents do not own personal vehicles. No other city in the USA even comes close to being this green when it comes to car-free living. But even a non-car owner living in NYC can still make bad transportation choices as demonstrated in Wa$ted.
Taking a taxi every now and then is acceptable to most car-free lifestyle ambassadors. Sometimes you just gotta get home fast. But taxiing all the time can break the bank as well as help you lose many of the eco-points you earned by being car-free. Unfortunately, it is not considered carpooling when the driver wouldn't have made the trip otherwise as is usually the case when taking a taxi. Also, the driver will often have to make an extra trip after dropping off a passenger to get back to an area where there is a hub of activity.
As far as the price tag, one short $20 cab ride can buy a commuter over a dozen trips on the subway. Sure, time is money, and a packed subway car isn't exactly relaxing. However, watching the meter spin, and feeling the lunch in your stomach churn while cornering at 30 miles an hour while the driver is chatting on a cell phone isn't so relaxing either.
Frequent cab ridership is still better than car ownership and is somewhat of a form of car-sharing since that same vehicle will be used over and over again for the purposes of multiple commuters. An added benefit is that there is no exhausting yourself and your car's tailpipe searching for a parking space in a crowded city such as New York. That is why we still give a taxi dependence kudos over outright car ownership.
So, on the eco-impact spectrum... if personal vehicles are considered red, and the subway is considered green, then a taxi cab can be considered yellow. Though that may change soon.
Our advice is to plan ahead and practice your commute online first by using resources such as this one.
