The ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ is taking over the streets of New York City

As of Tuesday, the Nissan NV200 minivan, called the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” will officially be New York city’s star taxi, becoming its official ride for yellow taxis.

As of right now, there are already 700 on the road. But now, taxi owners are required to buy the Nissan when they want to replace their current car, according to the Huffington Post.

The Nissan NV200 is likely to make up about 80 percent of the taxi fleet in New York City which would phase out the Ford Crown Victorias that have been on the streets since the 90’s.

The features of the minivan are what officials are hoping will draw in customers. The vehicle has sliding doors, a sunroof, phone-charging outlets and climate control. The city is hoping these new ride choices will bump Uber away from the curb and attract the masses back into yellow cabs.

Uber launched in New York city four years ago. The car-hailing app pulled riders away from traditional taxi and car services and forced the price of taxi medallions down. Just last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio cooled down from a plan to cap the number of new Uber vehicles allowed on New York City streets.

Although things are moving in a positive direction for the new yellow cab of NYC, criticism is starting to flow in, especially over the fact that the Nissan NV200 is a gas vehicle, not a hybrid. The minivan is also noted as not wheelchair-accessible. Some are wondering why the city did not make the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” according to tomorrow’s needs and necessities.

Under the administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Nissan celebrated its new 10-year contract, that is worth around $1 billion, to upgrade New York’s fleet of yellow cabs. But de Blasio resisted the new program for years, pointing fingers at Nissan for having ties with Iran and that the approval process granted his predecessor the ability to mandate the purchase of a single vehicle for the industry.

But in June, a state court ruled that the program was legit and ready to go.

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