Hey, it's the Bowry Boys.

Hey.

Hi there, this is Greg Young.

All new episodes, the Bowry Boys podcast, begin next week

with a very special show featuring two very special guests.

But before that, I wanted to mark an occasion in the summer of 1897, okay, 125 years ago,

when New Yorkers could hail for the very first time,

horseless cabs or handsoms, 12 electric operated vehicles, electric cars,

whisking passengers to their destinations,

albeit somewhat slowly and awkwardly.

To mark that unusual moment, today where we're visiting a show we recorded in 2015,

on the history of the New York City Taxi Cab and the entire Taxi Cab industry.

Of course, since we recorded that show many years ago, that industry has radically changed.

The COVID pandemic heavily damaged the taxi industry,

when the average number of daily riders by taxi plummeted to its lowest number in decades.

Even before that, many drivers were already under a crippling amount of debt

due to exploitative loan practices.

In the fall of 2021, drivers actually went on a hunger strike, urging the city for more assistance.

Finally, an expanded financial aid program was put into place late last year.

But the industry has not really recovered, especially in the landscape with popular ride sharing apps.

Today, while there are technically still over 13,000 taxi medallions,

according to the website Gothamist, at the end of 2021,

...