New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-18
ANOTHER CAB SERVICE.

Another attempt is to be made to fill the
"ong-felt want Of decent and not expen
sive cab service in this city. We have not
kept tally Of such schemes in the past. but
reckon there must have been score OF them
In the last score Of years. Their forms have
been varied Some were corporate some lndi-
vidua Some sought to reduce the cost of ser
vice by reducing the original cost of the cabs
Some aimed TO make the cabs look like private
vehicles, some covered them with parti-colored
emblems that proclaimed their character as
loudly as an ambulance bell could have done.
All had, however, two things in common-they
aimed at Improvement of the service and they
failed TO attain that end
The latest scheme is corporate one. II
might perhaps be called trust. The proposal
is 10 unite all the cab-drlving interests of the
city under n common management. with an
enormous capital Thus il is hoped such i'm
provemert and cheapcnlng Of service can be
effected as have been effected in some other
branches Of business by similar combinations
It may be Of interest to observe that such a
system prevails in Paris, where they are sup
posed 10 "order this matter better" Nearly
all the cabs and other public vehicles Of that
city belong to one great company, which has
about elGnt tnOuSanu OF them III use. here
are. perhaps, two thousand more, belonging to
smaller companies and to individuals. Each
and every one IS Of course licensed. and must
pay fee OF one franc n day, or $73 a year.
That means an income to the city treasury OF
$4,000 year from cab licenses alone. Imag-
ine In passing, such n revenue being collected
In this city. But that is not all. The cab
companies are compelled to divide with the
city their surplus earnings above certain hg-
ure. and they are restrained from charging
more than a certain rate OF fare. under far
more penalties than those which are
nominally prescribed for a like offence here
The general impression is that the cab ser
vice Of Paris is far better and certainly much
cheaper than that of New-York. 1t will be
well 10 consider all as well as merely some Of
It's points OF difference from ours.
1t Is no doubt true that the peculiar form OF
Manhattan Island initiates against so general
q use Of cabs as Is practicable in other cities.
IT is equally beyond doubt that cabs would be
far more generally used If they were less OK
penslve and the drivers of them less rulianly
In manner. 1t ought to be possible for man
and his wife to get a clean. neat cab TO take
them home from the theatre anywhere within
the distance of mile for half a dollar instead
of the two or three or five dollars which the
average hackman will demand. There Is DO
use in saying that the legal fare is much less
than that demanded. and that the driver can
be compelled 10 accept 1t and no moro. That
is quite true. But no man wants 10 enter into
public alteration with an abusive ruiiian
while his wife stands by in the cold and rain.
What is wanted l. system dnder which one
may get good service ut reasonable and legal
rates without having 10 fight for IL or 10 ap-
peal 10 the police.
There two three conditions which
make the profitable operation of n cheap cab
system more feasible AT the present time than
il "A few years ago. One is the improve
ments in street pavement. There are now
miles Of asphalt where there were only blocks
Smooth pavements not only make riding more
comfortable they greatly lessen the wear and