In the old days, every taxi driver in New York City was required to prove at least a basic working knowledge of the city's streets and landmarks. A new licensing exam does away with geography, assuming that taxis will rely on GPS.
For many years, the New York City taxi licensing exam include up to 80 questions requiring aspiring cabbies to prove that they can navigate one of the world's largest, most complicated street systems. On the newest version of the exam, though, geographic knowledge has taken a back seat.
City officials say that the taxi industry is just keeping up with the times, since many cabbies use GPS and wayfinding apps. Some speculate, though, that the exam had to become easier in order to compete with drivers who would otherwise drive for services like Uber and Lyft, which have relatively minimal licensing requirements. Pass rates on the new exam have increased 20 percent over the old exam.
Whether New York's famously demanding passengers will stand for a professional driver who has to consult a map remains an open question.
"You can’t lower the bar so much that new drivers don’t know where they’re going,” one New Yorker told the New York Times. “When you don’t know the city, it’s a big disadvantage. If this means new drivers aren’t going to know where Radio City Music Hall is, that’s unforgivable."
FULL STORY: In New Exam for Cabbies, Knowledge of Streets Takes a Back Seat
Ride-Hailing Prices Skyrocket as the U.S. Emerges From the Pandemic
A shortage of drivers and spiking demand are driving Uber and Lyft prices higher than ever as the companies struggle to achieve profitability.
New Regulations Grind Hiring to a Halt for Uber and Lyft
The New York City set standards for transportation network companies, and now those companies are being a lot more selective about who they hire as drivers.
Congestion Pricing to Balance Out Mobility Systems
The goal of transportation networks should be to provide integrated and efficient services, which requires looking beyond particular modes.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor
The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.
Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway
Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.
Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access
MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)