If you’re in outer New York, how do you catch a ride? We’ve reported that Uber serves the outer boroughs better than city taxis, though the differences are small (this was based on data we obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request). But since the summer of 2013, the city has had a separate fleet of cabs dedicated to serving non-Manhattan New York. What about the green taxis?
New York’s green cabs — officially known as Boro Taxis — aren’t allowed to pick up passengers in the southern half of Manhattan. The map above shows where green cab pickups occurred from April through September 2014, relative to the city average for green cabs and adjusted for the residential population of each census tract. These pickups were included in our initial analyses, but were lumped together with yellow taxi rides.
Despite their restrictions, green cabs still stay close to the city’s center. The neighborhoods of Harlem and Morningside Heights — just beyond the green cab border in northern Manhattan — see a disproportionate number of pickups, as do Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods just across major bridges. That outlier in the Bronx? Bay Plaza Shopping Center, a giant shopping complex, which saw 2,590 green cab pickups during the time span compared with just 52 for yellow cabs and 38 for Ubers.
Read more:
Uber Is Serving New York’s Outer Boroughs More Than Taxis Are