This Article is From Sep 01, 2015

Wrapped in Yellow, a Van Becomes a New York Icon

Wrapped in Yellow, a Van Becomes a New York Icon

Nissan NV200 taxi, which won a redesign competition to become the city's new standard yellow cab, in New York, Aug. 30, 2015.

NEW YORK: The boxy yellow vehicle is a survivor. It won a competition to redesign New York City's taxi. It endured a pothole-marred course in Arizona meant to replicate the city's rugged streets. And it prevailed in a legal battle and overcame the election of a new mayor who had been a vocal opponent.

On Tuesday, the vehicle, known as the Taxi of Tomorrow, finally becomes the city's yellow cab standard.

The Nissan NV200, more minivan than muscle car, is a major makeover for the city taxi, which has evolved with memorable (the Checker) and not-so-memorable (the Crown Victoria) incarnations. After a decade of planning and debate over the taxi's fate, most owners will now be required to switch to the Nissan model when they retire their cabs.

City officials hope the new look, from the sunroof to the cellphone-charging outlets, will give yellow cabs a boost at time when their dominance is threatened by Uber, the car service app. But whether the Taxi of Tomorrow will help yellow cabs retain a place in a fast-fracturing market is a question facing drivers, investors and customers.

A court ruling in June ended the legal dispute over the vehicle and allowed the Taxi and Limousine Commission to set the Sept. 1 start date. The administration of Michael R. Bloomberg had wanted a uniform taxi tailored to the city's strenuous demands, but opponents argued the administration had exceeded its authority by trying to force drivers to buy a certain vehicle.

While some owners can still choose from a short list of hybrid and wheelchair-accessible vehicles, taxi officials said 80 percent of the city's yellow cabs could eventually be NV200s.

Hundreds of the Nissan models are already roaming Manhattan's streets, but they make up a small share - about 750 cabs - of the more than 13,000 yellow taxis. More are on the way; each year between 2,500 and 3,000 owners typically replace their taxis, city officials said.

The vehicle has a "low-annoyance" horn and sliding doors - in a nod to traffic safety groups, along with more comfortable seats for drivers who spend long hours on the road.

Meera Joshi, the city's taxi commissioner, said the timing of the rollout is great for the industry because there has recently been a stronger focus on customer service.

"We get letters and feedback saying, 'Wow, I took a trip, I looked up, and I saw the sky,'" Joshi said in an interview at her office in Lower Manhattan. "That's the kind of characteristic that the taxi industry needs to compete."

Since Uber entered the New York market in 2011, the value of taxi medallions has dropped. Some taxi drivers have decamped to Uber. And city officials have grappled with how to regulate new entrants in the car-for-hire industry. In July the city introduced - and then abandoned - a proposal to place a temporary cap on the number of Uber vehicles.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has a complicated relationship with the Taxi of Tomorrow. As the city's public advocate, he opposed the plan and criticized Nissan for doing business in Iran. In a Twitter message, he posted a photo of the planned taxi with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president, inside the vehicle. After becoming mayor, he negotiated a revised agreement with Nissan last year, prompted by the potential cost of ending a 10-year contract with the company.

Given that history, it is not surprising that the city is approaching the rollout with little fanfare. City Hall is not planning any public events to mark the day, in contrast to the news conference Bloomberg held in 2011 to announce the new vehicle.

Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for de Blasio, said New Yorkers have already been riding in the vehicle for years. "The cat is out of the bag," Norvell said.

Despite the publicity, many people have never heard of the vehicle or taken a ride in one. As Charles Cheung watched an NV200 taxi pass Union Square on a recent afternoon, he was not impressed.

"Oh my god, that's so ugly," he said.

Pointing to a more traditional taxi, Cheung, 22, of Queens, added: "That's the stereotypical image that comes to mind, and they're ruining that. Who did this?"

Sitting on a nearby bench, Giona Jefferson said she did not mind the vehicle's "European vibe" and had enjoyed riding in the Taxi of Tomorrow a few times. She liked the extra legroom and the open feel of the sunroof, she said.

"The overall ambience of your commute is happier," said Jefferson, 27, of Brooklyn. "You're not cramped in a little small raggedy Town Car-style of cab."

As Mike Merrill waited in the park to meet his wife, he said he could use the vehicle's phone-charging outlet because his iPhone and iPad were almost dead. But Merrill, 50, of Brooklyn, is among the hordes of New Yorkers who have abandoned yellow taxis for Uber.

"I don't know if it would make me switch over from Uber," he said of the NV200's features, "but I like legroom. I do feel kind of trapped in the older taxis."

As for taxi drivers, they are still getting used to the vehicle, which has a list price of $29,900. Waldir Sousa said he switched to an NV200 from a Crown Victoria last year. Some passengers have complained - tall people hit their heads on the roof, while older people strain to step up into the vehicle - but overall he likes his new taxi. The ergonomic seat for drivers has improved his shifts, he said.

"It is much better than the Crown Victoria because I have a lower back problem," said Sousa, 64, of Queens.

Another driver, Mohabatpal Singh, who has a wheelchair-accessible version of the NV200, sent a letter to the taxi commission this year criticizing the vehicle. The ramp is heavy and its weight has worn down the tires, he said.

"The car gives me a hard time," Singh, 45, of Queens, said on a recent afternoon as he examined the tires, adding that he would warn other drivers not to buy it.

Only about two dozen wheelchair-accessible NV200s currently serve as taxis, city officials said. But that number is expected to grow in the years ahead as the city moves toward its goal of making 50 percent of the taxi fleet wheelchair accessible by 2020.

Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said drivers mostly like the design of the NV200.

"The real test of time will not be just the customer satisfaction," she said, "but it will be more about how these cars will stand the test of durability."
© 2015, The New York Times News Service
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