What does TAXI's yellow light "ON" & "OFF" means?
Channel: Fascinating Facts
Date: 2019-10-18

Cities have varying regulations about top lights and when they are engaged.  As a near-universal starting point, if the light is on the taxi should be available for a fare, and if the light is off the taxi is not.

Taxi meters usually have relay switches that can automatically turn the light on and off.  These meters can be configured by the installer or manufacturer to behave in different ways.  In some cities, for instance, the light must be on any time the ignition is on and the meter is not running.  There are also manual overrides.

If the light is on but the cabbie won't stop they may be on a call, or they may not see you.   They could be stopping up ahead someone else who flagged them first, or they're off duty.  In New York City there's a separate "off duty" light on either side of the main one that the cabbie can engage manually - so if the top light and "off duty" lights are both on they probably won't stop, but they might if they feel like it.  In some cities advertising displays or running lights are always on, and you might mistake those for the on duty top light.

Cabbies have prejudices like everyone else, and they're also afraid of getting assaulted, harassed, or robbed.  They're also allergic to bad tippers, rowdy drunks, and people likely to get sick or pass out in the back seat.  They may judge you on gender, age, or race, also how you're dressed or behaving, the crowd you're with, and what business you came out of.  They're not supposed to do racial profiling but it's pretty common.  A well dressed person with expensive luggage outside a hotel looks like a good airport fare.  A shaggy person coming out of a package store with a bottle in a brown bag, not so much.  If you look like a street person who's crazy or on drugs, that's hard.