projects: taxi

"When you drive a cab, you don't have to travel the world, the world comes into your backseat," ~ Michael Acerno, NYC cabbie since 1975

I spent ten days in New York City documenting the often overlooked world of Medallion Taxicabs. On any given day, there are more than 40,000 eligible cab drivers trying to share fewer than 12,000 legal and available cabs. The cars spend 24 hours on the streets, seven days a week. The drivers, 96% of whom are first generation immigrations, work for at least 12 hours behind the whee, six days a week. They are some of the hardest workers in the city and of the least respected.