Tesla became the first electric car to operate in New York's yellow cab

The American electric car Tesla Model 3 is included in the list of models that are eligible to work in New York as a yellow taxi. This publication writes UNIAN.

The electric car received a license from the authorities in New York and will soon join the ranks of the famous yellow taxis in Manhattan.

“It will thus become the first and so far the only electric car to receive a taxi license in Manhattan,” said Allan Fromberg, spokesman for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

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By the way, in the list of approved models, in addition to the Tesla electric car, there are a lot of hybrids: Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Lexus RX 450h and hybrid modification Lincoln MKZ.

In addition to hybrids, several Toyota models can also work with yellow taxis: Avalon, Camry, Prius, Highlander and RAV4.

How to get a yellow taxi license

Obtaining a TLC taxi license from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is not easy. To do this, you need to complete a 5-day training. It includes a course for a professional driver, the study of the geography of the city, traffic features, rules for the transportation of passengers, including people with disabilities.

After that, you need to pass the final exam. If successful, the applicant receives a license to carry out passenger transportation in the largest US city.

Moreover, the number of medallions is fixed. At the moment there are about 13 thousand of them.

To finally stake out your place behind the steering wheel, you need to buy it. Then you can either work yourself by car, or rent a medallion - that is, a license to drive a yellow taxi - for rent.

Yellow taxi as a symbol of New York

To date, the yellow taxi has become the same symbol of New York as skyscrapers or the Statue of Liberty. Once upon a time for migrants, who make up 90% of taxi drivers, this was a welcome job. The license was worth a million dollars, but no one doubted that this was a profitable investment. The medallion could not only be sold or leased, but even inherited. And the drivers told stories about their lives, about the lives of passengers, creating an oral chronicle of the metropolis.

True, with the appearance of such companies as Uber and Lyft about five years ago in the New York transportation market, yellow taxis had serious competitors that negatively affect earnings, depriving them of their livelihoods.