Published: April 1, 2010

Stuck on the sidewalk in the pouring rain, running almost 20 minutes late to class because you had an extra assignment at your internship, watching as one taxi after another drives by with a passenger who was lucky enough to snag the cab first, leaving you soaked on the sidewalk thinking “FML.” It’s a nightmare we have all been in, but it may be time to wake up.

As of Feb. 26, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission has implemented a new taxi share program. That means no more waiting on the sidewalk as half-empty cabs drive past you.

The taxi share program allows for willing passengers to move over and share their rides with someone else. In return for their good deeds, they will end up saving money, as there will be a flat rate of three dollars implemented no matter how far someone travels. The program will be in effect weekday mornings from 6 a.m. till 10 a.m. to help ease the morning commute.

“The concept really boils down to: take less money out of passengers’ pockets, put more money in drivers’ pockets, put less pollution in the air and give passengers more transportation options,” Taxi and Limousine Commission Chief Matt Daus said in his interview with the New York Post.

While there are plans to implement this city-wide, the program is currently in effect at only three locations as a trial period.

All of the program’s routes are conveniently close to Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and students are excited about the plan.

“I think the plan is a wonderful idea! I always see cabs pass by me with just one person in there and it frustrates me,” said Katerina Smotrich, FCLC ’13. “Plus, you never know who you’ll meet. The city is filled with fantastic people.”

“I think it is a good idea, it’s very important to reduce emissions and congestion over time for the environment in general, but also for the quality of air we breathe in the city everyday,” said Manjot K. Bhatti, FCLC ’11.

“I think it’s a good first step to try and reduce the crazy traffic in NYC without having to cut down the amount of cabs on the streets,” said Nancy Chen, FCLC ’12.

“It could definitely be beneficial to the environment,” said Louis Sullivan, FCLC ’13. “I’d consider taking part in it if it cut the cost of the ride and I was with agreeable people, but it’s somewhat of a situational, case-by-case issue.”

As always, even with good change comes some negatives and students have concerns regarding the program.

“The downsides of the plan, it seems to me, are as obvious as the upsides: it opens the taxi, a formerly private mode of transportation, to the possibility of random altercations that are usually associated with public transport like the city’s buses and subways,” added Sullivan.

“I guess people would be worried about safety and feeling uncomfortable so close to strangers, but sometimes we end up closer to people on the subway,” said Elina Ramos, FCLC ’10.

“I feel as if certain people will be unlikely to participate, [such as] mothers with young children, because you do sit more tightly packed in a cab than on a bus or train so some parents might have doubts about having their toddlers in such close proximity with a stranger,” Chen said.

“The only downside I see is an increase in commuting time from the stops the taxi might have to make to drop other passengers off before me,” said Bhatti.

“I think it could be a good plan in theory, but really, who wants to ride with a total stranger?” said Kathryn Burke, FCLC ’10. “I think it’s creepy to share a taxi with a stranger. It seems so intimate; what if the other person wants to start a conversation with you?”

So, while the program may turn out to be a great way to save our air from some carbon emissions and save us a few dollars in the process, just as with anything that’s new, only time will tell how successful its implementation on the New York City streets will be.