AMNY Subway Tracker

The "modern" New York taxi will be 100 years-old this year and the Design Trust for Public Space is honoring the occasion with a series of events.

It will host exhibits envisioning the future taxis -- as seen above -- among other activities.

April 4, the Empire State Building will go yellow in honor of the cabs. And the IFC Center will host "Fares To Remember: Seven Movies for Taxi '07."

For more info, check out: www.taxi07.org

-- Chuck Bennett

Cabbies rallied today to protest a proposal to instal GPS devices in their taxis. Check it out.

-- Chuck Bennett

This has been making the blog rounds during the past few weeks, but take a look if you use a pay-per-ride MetroCard.You'll never again have to throw out that odd amount of virtual coinage again after you try the MetroCard Bonus Calculator. Swiping is better when your total is divisible by $2.

Taxi!! Now from the subway to the streets. The Taxi Fare Finder takes some of the guess work out of figuring out how much a cab ride will set you back. Just enter your starting point and destination, and you'll get an estimated fare, as well as a suggested itinerary.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: Julia Gaines

For whatever reason the Taxi and Limousine Commission's Web site already says the fare hike went through:

Metered Rate of Fare
$2.50 upon entry
$.40 for each additional unit
$.40 per minute of waiting time
$.50 night surcharge after 8:00PM and prior to 6:00AM
$1.00 Peak Hour Surcharge in effect 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Friday

UPDATE: TLC spokesman said it is an error. It should read $.40 per two minutes of waiting time

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

From hero to victim: A strange, sad twist in the case of two firefighters hurt by a cab: One had just helped save a man who had fallen on subway tracks. [New York Post]

The L as lifeline: With all that nasty L train news recently, here's a piece that'll tug the heart strings. [Daily News via Observer's The Real Estate]  And L is, of course, also for love.

Critical showdown: Next Friday is Critical Mass, so you'll have your monthly tussle between cyclists and cops. But with the NYPD floating the idea of a rule to require groups of 20 or more cyclists to get a permit, things could get interesting. [New York Post]

Take note on the R: A nicely told tale of a subway artist, who, if you ride the R in Manhattan and have a face full of character, may just present you with your portrait. [The Village Voice] 

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: Charles Eckert

Earl Johnson drives his Checker cab into history in Times Square back in 1999.     (Ari Mintz/Newsday)

You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that a Checker cab that was auctioned off for $134,500 in 1999 would go for at least that much today -- especially since it was the last one to leave service. But "Janie" went for less than a tenth of that price on Sunday at Christie's. Earl Johnson, a former owner who sold the cab for those big bucks back in '99, asked in the New York Post why this piece of New Yorkiana sold for a mere $9,400. Good question, considering that years ago, more mundane Checkers sold for much more.

The Checkers slowly vanished after production ended in the early 1980s. Too bad an authentic-looking Checker with modern insides isn't the TLC standard. New York could learn a thing or two from London.

In other news  ...

* The Daily News revisits a woman's subway-track death in April. Police say she was walking between cars and fell onto the tracks. Her family says it wasn't in her nature to take that kind of risk.

* More on PSP action in the subway.

* The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at what could become a less costly rail alternative for those traveling between Philly and NYC.

-- Rolando Pujol