LYDIC: Taxicabs,
they've always been an integral part of New York culture.
Hey, I'm walking here!
I'm walking here!
I love them.
And they love me.
Hey, limp dick! Move!
(horn honking)
Hey, come on, let's go, what the (bleep).
(bleep) He's got someone in the back who's special!
But now this New York icon is under threat
and who's to blame?
Well, I'll give you a hint.
It rhymes with goober.
CAB DRIVER: Business started going down
the day Uber came to town.
It's not just Uber. It's Lyft, it's Gett, it's Juno.
-Via, Juno. -Via.
I would say the business is down to about 50%... at least.
I'm sorry, I can't hear you
'cause there are no shock absorbers in this vehicle.
You have potholes up and down the street here.
I can't hear a thing you're saying 'cause of the potholes.
In order for cab drivers to operate on these streets,
they need to make an investment
in something called a medallion,
which until recently, had significant value.
Owning a medallion was like having
a seat on the Stock Exchange,
it was something that you would pass on to your children.
LYDIC: At this rate, taxis could become extinct.
So John was turning to a higher power.
I got a priest on the Lower East Side,
and at least once a day I go by and he gives me a blessing,
and he's praying that the price of the medallion's gonna go up.
Hey, Father Pat, let's go!
There's a medallion, if you can bless it.
(laughter)
Me, me, bless me. You can bless me.
Father, son, the holy spirit.
-Oh, ooh. -Amen.
God be with you always.
Oh, it burns. It burns.
Things have to be pretty bad when you resort
to having a priest pray for your taxi.
But the introduction of car apps like Uber forced the value
of the medallion to go down 88% in just four years.
It's possible that cabs may have added to this decline.
I mean, people have had totally valid concerns
about cabs for years.
Uber, on the other hand, despite some negative press,
is super quick and efficient.
And it's not just passengers who are switching.
-Drivers are switching, too. -Hi.
-What's your name again? -You can call me EZ.
Oh. That was my nickname in high school.
Oh, that's great.
-So you are EZ, too? -That's what they say.
Easy was a cab driver for nine years
before he became an Uber driver.
I went to Uber because I want to be safe.
-You have Laffy Taffies? -Not to be in dangerous.
The good thing about Uber,
too, is that...
Are you gonna finish all the candy?
-What? -Leave some for the other clients.
Come on.
-(mouthing silently) -That's mean.
You will never get a good rating.
-You know what I love about Ubers? -What?
No glass.
Oh, okay.
-Can you please sit back? -Look.
-Please? Please? Please? -Look.
-I can even steer from back here. -Oh, my God.
-There's no plastic divider. -Don't touch my stuff.
-I can steer. -Please don't stuff my stuff.
-Can you please sit back? -(horn honks)
-Can you please? -I got it. I did it.
Okay. Okay.
-Thank you. Thank you. Please. -(horn honks)
Just be quiet for a little bit, please.
-You know? Desi. -(sneezing)
-Oh, my God. -Sorry.
Ah, There is, uh, -I got that on your seat a little bit.
there is a wipes-wipes in the back
for the disease and, uh....
-You know? -I'll figure it out.
That's it. That's it.
Can you leave the car?
Take your coffee and go.
Thank you.
-That's it. I'm done. -I'm not...
No, no, no, no, no, no.
No. You are not taking my candy.
You are not taking my candy.
Come here. Give me the candy.
LYDIC: Uber is not what it's cracked up to be.
It's like, you borrow candy from one driver,
and suddenly your rating is unredeemable.
That's what's great about taxis,
there's no rating system.
We always verbally rated each other.
I can go to you, "Go (bleep) yourself."
And I feel good and you feel good,
and we're all on our way.
Well, I thought it was a New Yorker's way
of saying "Have a nice day."
That's because they didn't like you as a passenger and--
I am perfectly pleasant.
I am a perfectly pleasant passenger.
I'm easy to be around,
I'm polite, I'm white.
What more do you want from me?
Listen, in a Yellow Cab, you can break balls
and not get rated, what's better than that?
LYDIC: What is better than that?
I can't imagine a cabless world
without guys like John in the front seat.
After all, he's more than a cabbie, he's my friend.
Thanks, John.
Hey.
Go (bleep) yourself.
You, too.
♪ ♪
(cheers and applause)