By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
PORT AUTHORITY BUS TERMINAL — Manhattan's fourth taxi-share stand opened Wednesday and the head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission declared that the new stand, located at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, was a testament to the success of the program.
"I'm very excited we're offering people the opportunity to get where they're going for less money and more conveniently," TLC Commissioner David Yassky said at a press conference.
The taxi-share program launched slowly in March at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, East 72nd Street and Third Avenue and West 57th Street and Eighth Avenue.
Taxi dispatcher Luis Fortunato said that early on Wednesday morning, 15 riders had used the share option, where passengers pay $3 to split the fare to a drop-off point at West 59th Street and Sixth Avenue.
Yassky pointed out that besides saving money, the taxi share program enabled customers to get through lines faster. But he cautioned that despite the program's early success, it would take months, if not years, for customers to change long-established commuting habits.
“Riders figure out for themselves patterns that work the best,” he said. “Our objective is to create options that work for them.”
Some riders in the line for a cab around 9:30 a.m. said the taxi share didn't really work for them.
Ed Tapia, a 42-year-old Washington Heights resident, said he couldn’t afford the time for extra stops for other riders.
“I’m always late,” he said.
