Let’s picture a scenario for a moment. You’re Dad, fearless spouse and parent. You, your co-parent, and the kids are in New York City for a week-long vacation. 

You need to get to a new Harlem restaurant, and you’re down in the Village. You know you’ll never make your reservation on time if you rely on public transportation. You also feel like an Uber or Lyft will take too long to reach you. 

Now is your moment: you’re about to try to hail a New York City cab for the first time. How you conduct yourself at this moment will earn you family accolades, or possibly ridicule for days or weeks to come. 

There’s no need to panic. All you must do is follow these taxi-hailing tips, and you should do fine.

 

Head to the Nearest Intersection

Before we plunge into these tips, we should first address taxi safety. There’s a stereotype that all New York City cab operators drive like maniacs, and maybe that’s true in some cases. 

If you hail a cab, though, and you see the driver nearly mow down a pedestrian on the way toward you, you don’t have to get in. Safety matters.  

In New York state, in 2018, there were 943 people killed in car accidents, almost three per day. Don’t get in the car with someone who acts like they just escaped from Bellevue. 

Now, back to taxi-hailing. The first thing you ought to do is get off the side streets and find the nearest major intersection. This: 

• Allow you to see more cabs

• Allows more cab drivers to see you 

For instance, if you’re between Fifth and Sixth Avenue on one of the connecting streets, walk over to either Fifth or Sixth. These are the major tributaries that run up Manhattan island. It’s there you’ll find dozens of cabs at most times of the day or night.

 

Throw Your Hand Up and Face Traffic

You also have the best chance to flag down a taxi if you’re facing traffic, not away from it. Turn toward the oncoming cars, and throw your hand and arm up as high as it goes. This lets cab drivers know: 

• You’re ready for a ride

• Which direction you want to go 

That could be enough to attract a driver’s attention.

 

Wave Your Arm Back and Forth

If just sticking your arm up is not enough, you can also start waving it back and forth. Go for an exaggerated motion that the cab drivers can’t miss. 

If there is any doubt whether you want a ride, this should take it away.

 

Yell for a Taxi

If this doesn’t work after a few seconds, you can also start yelling “Taxi!” at the top of your lungs. You might feel a little funny doing that, but you may get a driver’s attention this way who wouldn’t notice you otherwise. 

Try to put some bass in your voice. You might have to fight for the drivers to hear you against honking horns, people talking, planes flying overhead, and all those other delightful big city noises.

 

Try to Make Eye Contact with the Drivers

Another thing you can do if no one wants to respond is to try to make eye contact with one of the drivers coming your way. That’s the strongest possible signal that you want a ride, and you won’t take no for an answer.

 

Get Out in the Street

One additional thing you could do is step off the sidewalk and out into the street. This is a pro tip, and not for the fainthearted. 

Only do this if you’re sure you have plenty of time to get out of the way again if a taxi or any other traffic comes your way. Some New Yorkers will step heedlessly into traffic to snag a cab, but it’s a risky maneuver that could lead to an accident if you don’t do it just right. 

You should certainly make sure that your family stays safely on the sidewalk while you’re doing all this. This is your moment, and you don’t want them to get hurt or to distract you. 

Getting a taxi is easier off-hours, but after all, this is the city that never sleeps, and there’s usually stiff competition. If you’re not demonstrative and determined, someone else can steal your cab. 

If you successfully get one, you’ll feel proud, and rightly so. As you head to your restaurant, you’ll inwardly congratulate yourself on this monumental accomplishment.