Do yellow taxis disappear

Corona threatens one of the symbols of New York

Because of the "pandemic", yellow taxis have become rare, despite the presence of about 13,000 licensed cars in the city.

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For decades, yellow taxis were one of the symbols of New York, after they were everywhere around the clock, but a year after the start of the pandemic, these vehicles are rare and their future appears uncertain.

These cars, which were seen everywhere day and night, on the streets of the American business city, were symbolically equivalent to the importance of the Empire State Building or the baseball caps.

"Hundreds of yellow taxis were lined up in this parking lot," said Joy Olivu, who has been working for 30 years as a taxi driver. "We used to line up in a long line and wait about 20 minutes, but today we are about 50 cars, and we wait two hours."

Because of working remotely in business districts, school closures and the cessation of tourism, work has fallen far short of his, as is the case for all New Yorkers.

"The situation is difficult," Olivu says. "My income has decreased by 80%. I used to earn maybe 1,000 dollars a week, but today I only make 200 to 300 dollars."

The competition from Uber, Lyft, and other taxi-demand applications greatly affected their income, which would have exceeded $ 7,000 per month if they worked long hours seven days a week.

But with the epidemic, Richard Chow, 62, of Burma, says his income is constantly declining.

But Chow isn't the most desperate, because he bought his license - called a "medal" in New York - in 2006 for $ 410,000.

In the recent period, yellow taxis have become rare, although there are about 13,000 licensed cars in the city. About 7,000 drivers no longer take their cars out of the garage, as it is no longer profitable, says William Pierre, a Haitian driver.

Bayravi Desai fears that it will "gradually disappear" if the city council does not write off the drivers' debts.

Her union is pressing through the demonstrations. Dozens of drivers cut off traffic for a short time on the famous Brooklyn Bridge last week.

“You know you are in New York, when you see the yellow taxi,” she says. These cars are known all over the world.

As it says, "it is a cultural symbol .. and a 24-hour service is an integral part of the economic, social and cultural fabric of this wonderful city."

The fame of yellow cars parallels the symbolism of the Empire State Building.

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