Henry S. Farber, an economist at Princeton, has performed an exhaustive study of NYC’s taxi data and weather patterns over the last four years and he thinks the research has produced a pretty good explanation for why it’s so hard to get a cab in the rain.
Using a small subset of the enormous amount of data, Farber has shown that taxi occupancy increases by 4.8% when it is raining — no surprise. What is surprising, however, is that the supply of cabs falls 7.1%.
There a few theories as to why that is, but Farber’s data shows that even though there is more demand for a lift when it’s raining, traffic slows down at the same time, so profits flat-line. He tells New York Magazine that there are more factors involved including, “accumulated hours, accumulated income, time of day, day of week, location in the city, etc.,” but he’s extremely practical about the number one probable cause:
Cabbies just find it unpleasant to drive in the rain.
All last night and throughout this morning, it snowed in New York City. As a result, snow accumulated. Some of that snow covered the streets. Some of it fell into subway stations. Some of it even amassed on top of a cab. This is what happens when it snows. (Photo:…
Starting January the 9th, you may enjoy the ambient Icelandic sounds of Sigur Rós and the visuals of Ryan McGinley -- the New York photographer best known for putting attractive naked crotches next to sparklers and dangerous animals -- right there in your taxi! Watch a thinly-dressed girl bouncing in slow-motion through traffic on New York's most recognizable streets…
Cab Roulette is a recurring series in which comedian Dan Speiser interviews cab drivers about their experiences on the job. Clautiere is a Haitian former radio DJ who tells the story about why he left his oppressive home country. He's also tight with Wyclef's family, NBD. Episode 1: Abdulai Episode…
