By Cynthia Koons
In an area where more than 100,000 commuters pass daily, the rebirth of the taxi stand brought yellow cabs to an intersection trafficked mostly by city buses. Buses converge there to meet riders from the Long Island Rail Road and No. 7 subway line, which terminates at Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street.”Flushing is a transit hub and it always made perfect sense for yellow cabs to complement the vast array of options available for our commuters,” Liu said in a statement. “This public-private initiative has been a huge success, with more than 25,000 passengers served at our taxi stand.”State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) and newly minted state Assemblyman Jimmy Meng (D-Flushing) joined Liu for the occasion.”The success of our yellow taxi stand again demonstrates how Flushing continues to lead the way in trying new ideas,” Stavisky said.Meng added that the program could be used to help create similar stands in areas outside Manhattan, where yellow cabs are less common but in no less demand.Jean Barrett, the executive director of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, said the stand has served as a learning tool for the agency.”Flushing's taxi stand has been a great experience for both the yellow taxicab drivers and the yellow taxicab industry,” Barrett said. “It shows how yellow taxicabs provide service outside Manhattan to benefit both the riding public and taxi industry.”
