I was in Vancouver last week, and my wife and I took a cab from our hotel to the airport. The cab was immaculate and looked great. The driver was an immigrant to Canada from South Asia and spoke in very understandable English. He even apologized to us after speaking on his cell phone for a few minutes to another driver to whom he was giving directions by using his GPS. It was a very pleasant experience.
My last encounter with a cab driver in New York City was completely different. My wife and I were also going from our apartment to the airport. It was a sweltering August day. We got into a cab which had the windows open and the air conditioning turned off. The interior was as dirty as the exterior. I closed the rear windows and turned on the a/c in the back of the cab.
However, since the driver did not close the front windows or turn on his a/c, the rear was not getting any cooler even with the partition partially closed. Finally, I said to the driver that I wanted the a/c on and his windows closed. He mumbled something about not liking air conditioning. At that point, I had to remind him that I was the customer and that I preferred the air conditioning on.
Most of my interactions with New York City cab drivers are unpleasant. For the most part, they don’t know the City outside of Manhattan below 96th Street and the airports. I can’t count the times I have given an address to the driver only to find out that I was not understood. As my wife will tell you I go to great lengths not to take a taxi in New York (she finds the Train to the Plane more daunting than I do!).
I am not in New York as I write this, but I read in the paper about a strike taking place by some drivers. They are protesting the fact that they are being required to have a GPS and to take credit cards. They received a 25% fare increase to compensate for these improvements over the last two years. Now that it was time to put these systems into the cabs, the drivers have decided to strike instead.
New York is a world class city. It has so much going for it. But it also teeters on the edge of being a third world city. When I was first in real estate in the early 1970’s the city was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy and anarchy. That is no longer the case. The real estate market is booming as so many other things are. Crime is low as compared with other cities. In 1975, the streets were deserted once night arrived, and now they are teeming with people.
However, New York could learn from other places. The Building Department is a throwback to Dickinsian London. San Francisco, which has tougher requirements, is all computerized and it is far more efficient in granting approvals. Buying an apartment in the New York market is completely unique and, again, less efficient as compared to other major cities of the country. And, it appears that even taking a taxi, an age-old New York tradition, is taking a backseat to many other cities.
Thomas F. Campenni CPM, CCIM has more than 35 years of experience as a broker and is licensed in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Since 1992, Tom’s focus has been working with a smaller client base so that he can provide the kind of individualized service that results in greater return for his clients and, consequently, greater client satisfaction. In addition to his real estate brokers’ licenses, Tom also holds insurance licenses in New York and Florida and has earned the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and CPM (Certified Property Manager) designations. Please visit http://www.thomascampenni.com or email him at Tom@thomascampenni.com for additional information.
Tags: customer service, New York City, taxi, Vancouver