The cab industry in the U.S. dates back over a hundred years. There are no similar rules within the country, each major city regulates such direction at its own discretion. As an example for the majority of megalopolises of the country the experience of the organization of functioning of cab services in New York is used.
Before you become a common cab driver, you must first obtain a license of the appropriate form. To get it, you need to take a training course (the minimum duration of the course – 6 months), after which a separate category “I” is assigned. Next, gathers a package of necessary documents and draw up applications. The obligatory procedure is passing a medical examination and fingerprinting (this determines if a person has a criminal record and had any previous arrests). Then the future cab driver moves on to the training, which, in general, can last from one day to three months. The program consists of learning the rules on which a cab driver must work, knowledge of the city (landmarks, hospitals, addresses, etc.) is assessed. After that, you have to pass an exam, the results of which decide whether to take the person for permanent work or not. The price of the license, taking into account all the certificates and the duration of training, in general, is about $ 400.
In addition, the car can be rented strictly. Strict restrictions and on the color – only yellow. Additionally there must be special equipment in the cab, and one of the main points is considered a cab medallion. Such a metal plate, which is located on the hood of the car. On the medallion is placed the Brooklyn Bridge, the number of the license is written, the name of the structure that assigned it, as well as the period of relevance (the plate should be changed every two years). It should be said that it is not possible to call such a cab by telephone, but the medallion allows the right to carry voting passengers. The car must be no more than five years old, but as practice shows, the “life” of the car, which is used as a cab, does not exceed three years.
Once seated on the back seat, the passenger sees a monitor in front of him, which shows information about the current trip and the driver, the latest news, maps, etc. The driver and the passenger are separated by a special transparent plastic with the driver’s license and the car number. There is also a special device with which it is possible to pay with a bank card. On the driver’s side is a special small computer – miter, where you enter the number of your personal license, and only then the meter starts working. All this is directly connected to the main computer, which processes the information and sends it to the tax office. There is a fee of 50 cents (that is not a tax) from each trip of the car, the average cab driver makes 40 trips per working day.
But if a cab driver is a medallion owner, his job is a lot different from those who simply rent a car. Often such cab drivers drive Lexuses exclusively. The man is his own boss here and works at his own discretion. These cab drivers mostly take passengers from hotels to the airport, arranging in advance with the doorman, who picks up their users. The price of the trip is standard and is just over 50 dollars without taking into account the size of the tip. After arrival at the airport the cab driver drives into the designated parking for drivers and takes his turn (idle time takes about one hour, during this period you can go to a cafe or talk to other cab drivers). After your turn, the dispatcher gives a special direction to the desired terminal, where again you need to take a turn. Predominantly, passengers are directed to the hotel, and there the driver again arranges the order with the doorman. So, the medallion owners travel the traditional route.
In the end we can conclude: the cab industry in the U.S. is well-established and functions according to a well-established scheme. Driving this way is quite safe, fast and inexpensive. For owners of business, granting of such services brings good profit. Drivers also especially do not complain about earnings, in particular natives of less developed states.