...have you ever heard of this?..My friend recently took a cab from Newark to the Upper East side. Another friend of hers told her when riding in a cab in NY, one of the first things you do is get on your cell phone. Am I living under a rock or is this really what one does (for safety reasons..or whatever reason)?..I should mention, it was about 10 in the morning and she is 60 traveling by herself.

That seems rather silly, I've taken numerous taxis in nyc and I take them almost weekly in chicago and never felt the need to do that.

Never heard that before. One should just have a general idea of how to get to where they are going, that way they will know if they are going in the right direction

I lived in NYC for 4 years and never heard this . . . I'm not even sure WHY one would do this . . . Seems like to me, if safety is your primary concern, you'd want to be paying total attention to where you were being driven, not chatting on your phone . . .

Jennie

Maybe to look like a "local"?

The key is safety. I learned this in travelin' school. Before getting into any car/cab/van etc in any city, look at the car's number, each one has an individual number. You can casually point it out to your friend or collegues out loud or if by yourself, talk to the driver about it, make conversations about it. That way everyone knows what number you are in. Driver won't s@#@w you over, and if you leave anything in the vehicle, you'll know what number of car/van/cab. It is extremely helpful to have that...just in case. P.S. most cabbies/drivers are great. They are just like us workin' for a livin'. Be kind and polite. They are the one who have to be protected from us, behind the sheet of bullet proof plastic! If you want to call someone, you can use your cell. I usually like to be aware of where I am going and in what direction the car is headed. Just be alert.

I'm not sure about Newark, but at JFK and LGA the taxi dispatcher will give you a piece of paper with your rights etc. Most people throw it away. DON'T. This paper has the cab # and ID on it should you leave something behind or want to report it for any problems. As to the cell phone, I imagine lots of people get on the phone to pass the time, but it's sure not mandatory. In fact, I sometimes demand the driver get OFF the phone--drives me crazy that he's not paying full attention to driving. No question it's cost me money.

Oh, I always note my taxi number in case I leave something in it or in case my taxi driver is a complete nutbag that needs reported to the city (I've only done that once), but when I'm in an unfamiliar city I try to pay attention to where I'm going. The only time I was on my phone in a taxi in nyc is when my friend had to give the taxi driver directions to the restaurant in Brooklyn I was meeting her at (this is after the taxi driver and the dispatcher got into a shouting match about the fact I didn't want to go to Manhattan from the airport, the shouting matching ending with the dispatcher saying ever so decorously 'shut up you f****r, you are taking her to Brooklyn or you go to end of the line' (the line was 20 taxis long), I got my ride, but the guy had no idea where he was going and I only had vague directions. So it is a good idea to have a phone, that is for sure, in case you get my buddy there who doesn't know his way around new york.

I almost always take down the cab number in case I forget something, etc.

Chatting on the cell phone for safety reasons seems absurd to me.

This is so funny - my 12 year-old has just started taking cabs on his own or with friends this year - and talking on the cell phone to someone is one of the "street smart" stategies they've been told to use, so the driver won't 'kidnap' them!!!!! Some of us parents think it's cute, some of us think it's ridiculous, and some think it's a great idea!

Silliest thing I ever heard of.

If you have trouble with a driver or ride - then take down the number and name and complain to the T&LC.

But chances of any sort of problem in Manhattan - except traffic - are extremely rare. (In the outer boroughs cabs may not be ble to find a specific place unless you have directions - since they don't routinely venture there - except for the airports.)