Starting on June 24th, people going back and forth from Flushing noticed more yellow cabs in the neighborhood. City Councilman John Liu announced a pilot program of taxi stands to encourage taxi drivers to start doing business in Flushing.

Liu said that his plan will continue for six months, and if it turns out to be effective, it will be extended to other areas.

“Yellow taxi cabs should not be a privilege of Manhattan,” he said.

State Assemblyman Barry S. Gordenchik and Jean Barret, the chair of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, joined Liu to announce the plan for taxi cabs. Since it will be the first time that yellow cabs will operate outside Manhattan and because traffic between Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is often congested, Owen J. Monaghan, the head of 109th Police Precinct was also present.

The taxi stand set up on the southwest corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street does not have the obvious “Taxi Stop” sign, but residents cannot have failed to notice the parked yellow cabs that provide 24/7 taxi service. The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade has personnel wearing bright yellow uniforms to regulate the cabs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. Because they use a digital system, the staff know the location of each cab, and passengers do not have to worry about their safety.

According to John Liu, through this pilot program, the public could understand the need for residents outside of Manhattan to enjoy taxi service. He said that taxi cabs are different from livery cabs in that taxis can pick up passengers on the streets and have regulated charges while livery cabs charge according to the company or driver. He believes that with the presence of taxi cabs Flushing residents will save money.