The long-awaited "Taxi of Tomorrow", which was specifically designed for use in New York City by Nissan, got a workout on the city's streets this week in advance of the fleet's arrival in October.
"Nissan was offering rides, not drives, in its NV200 taxi, which still showed a few signs of being a work in progress," writes Jim Motavalli. "Only one of the rear passenger doors had a sliding window (which rattled when open), and some finishing touches had not yet been completed."
"In a 15-minute ride in the van, some of the taxi’s advantages were apparent. It had limousine-grade legroom, a big roof window to help passengers see the city and separate climate controls for passengers. A handy step emerged when either sliding door was opened. The cabin featured a full-length divider window incorporating a pass-through for payments, as well as a natural-sounding intercom system similar to those in London cabs. The passenger compartment had cup holders, as well as USB ports for recharging cellphones and other devices."
FULL STORY: A Ride Around Manhattan in the Taxi of Tomorrow
New York Car Service Companies Go Digital
Facing tough competition from Uber, New York City's neighborhood car service providers are using apps to retain clientele. The jury's still out on whether adaptation will help them stay in business.
Taxi of Tomorrow Scuttled Yesterday
Mayor Bloomberg's plan to mandate a standardized taxi for the streets of New York was given a potentially fatal blow this week by a State Supreme Court judge. With his successors unlikely to take up the legal battle, the plan appears doomed.
How Taxis Augment Public Transit
Urban Planning Professor David King has found that rather than working in competition, taxi cabs actually augment public transit networks.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
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