You know what the city needs more of? Fancy cabs! if you're not into the idea of a luxury motorcycle taxi service, try cruising town in high style in one of the city's newly-approved Mercedes-Benz taxis instead. Well, if you can find one.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission recently added the $51,000 Mercedes E350 BlueTec sedan to its list of approved vehicles that cabbies, who are required to buy a new ride every three to five years, can choose from. But with such a steep price tag, most hacks, who make about $49,000 a year, simply can't afford such a slick new ride. The most popular models for cabbies today are the Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Sienna minivans, and our personal favorite, the luxurious-feeling, always-classy Crown Victoria, whose production was recently halted due to an engine shortage.
Cabbie Khan Iqbal told the Daily News, "No way, man," when asked if he would take a Mercedes over his current Crown Vic. "I already paid 50 bucks for gas today. Maybe Mayor Bloomberg can afford to drive a Mercedes cab." No word yet on whether the spiffy new cabs will still feature perpetually annoying Taxi TV.
