How to hail a black car

Photograph: Shani Bar-On

Although yellow cabs are the only cars legally allowed to pick up fares on the street, the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) has also certified around 38,500 vehicles to work as livery cars. You know they’re supposed to pick up passengers by appointment only, but you may not know how to hail one without feeling ripped off.

1. When the car pulls over, check for TLC license plates. (If the car is unmarked, wave it on.) Other reassuring signs include livery company stickers on the windows and a camera on the rearview mirror or dashboard.

2. Ask the price before you get in, but let the driver quote one first. A little politeness could save you some cash. George, who gets most of his fares in the Bronx, is lenient to friendly passengers: “If I say it’s $10, and someone says, ‘Sorry, I only have $8,’ I’ll usually take them the whole way.”

3. Most cabbies agree that the minimum fee is about $6, which can get you as far as ten blocks in Manhattan or the Bronx. Crosstown rates from Broadway to Lexington Avenue should be around $7 or $8. A trip down one avenue from 110th Street to 14th Street can range from $18 to $20. Don’t pay $3 more than you would in a cab.

4. A dollar tip is fine, but borough-to-borough service earns two.

5. Some borough streets also boast “dollar cabs,” which operate as public taxis on set routes, like buses. On Brooklyn’s Church Avenue, a buck fifty gets you to any street between East 18th and 96th Streets. Vans also run on nearby Flatbush Avenue for the same price. You can pay at any point in your ride; hail as normal, but don’t expect TLC plates—and don’t expect to tip.

—Ali Rohrs