By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — New Yorkers who say they have a hard time catching a cab in Manhattan during the evening rush hour aren't imagining things — they're simply aren't as many cabs to catch.
A new study conducted by the Taxi and Limousine Commission found that the number of taxis on the road between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. drops from 6,688 to 5,452, the New York Post reported.
That's 18 percent fewer yellow cabs to hail from a city street corner.
"The evidence shows there's a significant dip in the number of cabs between 4 and 5 p.m.," TLC chief David Yassky told the Post.
"There's a real inconvenience to the public."
A GPS system installed in the cars three years ago allows the TLC to track the number of taxis on the road for the first time, and proves that Manhattanites and other New Yorkers are left hanging during some of the busiest traffic times in the city.
The reason for the inconvenience is a shift change between the daytime and nighttime drivers, which begins around 4 p.m. Yassky plans meet with officials about providing more taxis starting at that time, he told the Post.
Other than drivers that are occupied on their cell phones, the lack of cab service is the biggest complaint he receives, Yassky added.
New Yorkers can say, "I told you so," Yassky said to the Post.
