More New Yorkers are hiring yellow cabs in Manhattan since the January launch of congestion pricing – a promising, albeit preliminary, indicator for the health of the city’s taxi industry in light of the toll. Yellow taxi trips during the initial week of congestion pricing (Jan. 5-12) increased by 10% within the Central Business District, compared to the same time last year. Yellow taxi drivers made more than 511,000 trips – nearly 50,000 more trips compared to the same week in 2024, according to data from the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC).
As of February, Uber and Lyft trips remained essentially flat.
At a February City Council hearing, TLC Chair David Do called the figures “hopeful signs” for yellow cabs. In recent months, yellow taxis reported 3.7 million trips each month; in October the city’s yellow cabs managed to hit 3.8 million trips – the industry’s highest since early 2020, TLC data shows.
“If you can get passengers to your destination just a little bit quicker it means that you get a little bit more free time now to search for that next fare, instead of waiting in traffic,” said Do.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
