Transit Ideas: Roving Cabs

The big difference between cabs in New York City and cabs everywhere else in the country is this: the Big Apple has roving cabs everywhere, whereas most other cities have dial-a-cab service and, if they're lucky, roving cabs in specific districts.

I got to thinking about this issue because I often wonder what it would take to reduce our rate of personal car ownership. Mass transit, for the most part, addresses the commuting transit needs of an urban population. But people still need trip-specific point-to-point travel services, especially for leisure & entertainment. Cabs are perfect for this kind of service; unfortunately, however, in areas where cabs can only be obtained by calling in advance (and then waiting 20+ minutes), it's not a very desirable option.

Contrast this with New York, where generally speaking you're always within a few blocks of a road swamped with cabs. It's a sea of yellow much of the time! In this situation, you really don't need a car at all. Between the subway, buses, and cabs, most of your transit needs are supplied without having to own your own automobile. Fantastic!

I'm not sure how to get such a system in place outside of New York. Even if some enlightened billionaire invested a huge amount of money to blanket a city with roving cabs, it would take years before the per-capita car-ownership rates would decline sufficiently to ensure a stable profit margin. Any ideas?

Monday: Transit Ideas
Tuesday: Scooters for Everyone!
Wednesday: Apartments Without Kitchens!
Thursday: Even More Ridiculous Transit Ideas
Friday: Urban Parks