From Yellow Cabs, to Gypsy Cabs, to ???

I was just thinking this morning about my first apartment in New York. I lived on East 12th St. in Manhattan, which was a very cool place to be. Since then, I've moved on up (geographically, that is) to three other apartments. My second was on West 113th St. in Harlem, my third on West 157th St. in Washington Heights, and finally, my fourth in Riverdale, at approximately 256th Street in the Bronx.

It's amazing the differences in options for cabs in each neighborhood. When I lived on East 12th St., I was always able to find a yellow cab, which meant that I was assured a fair (relatively speaking) rate and a reliable driver. Once I moved up to Harlem and Washington Heights, it was difficult to find a yellow cab. You see, they didn't like traveling to these "undesirable" neighborhoods, but preferred to stay in the land of tourists, which is anything below 110th St. So, if I wanted a cab from my apartment in those days, I had to search out a gypsy cab. Gypsy cabs are easy to find once you know what to look for. They're basically full-sized, dark colored cars like a Towne and Country. It's completely illegal for livery cab drivers to pick up passengers from the street, but it happens all the time. The downside to gypsy cabs is that you have to negotiate the fare BEFORE you accept the ride if you don't want to over pay. They don't have meters in their cars like yellow cabs do.

Now that I live in the Bronx, I've encountered a new phenomenon. There are no yellow cabs, and gypsy cabs are scarce. So, creative thinking Bronxites have taken it upon themselves to solve this problem. Many 'regular' people bring their 'regular' cars to the last stop on the subway and discreetly offer their driving services to anyone who needs a ride past where the subway goes. This is extremely illegal, but I think they provide a valuable and necessary service. Last night, for example, I was not keen on the idea of taking the city bus to my bus stop and then walking 10 minutes to my apartment. For one, it was cold and it had just snowed. Two, I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I just didn't feel like walking. So, I took the ride offered me.

This experience is not new to me, but it always feels a bit strange. The drivers want you to sit in the front passenger seat so it looks like you're a friend, not a paying passenger. Sometimes they'll take a few other people with them as well, to maximize profits. I'll admit, the first time I took one of these ??? cabs, I was a little scared. After all, why should I trust these people? Now, however, I'm so grateful to them. They are there in all kinds of weather, and they offer a reasonable flat fee to anywhere in Riverdale.