NYC's Iconic Cabs Are Officially Changing Starting Today

NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) -- They're a New York City staple, but the streets filled with honking yellow taxis — mostly sedans mixed with some SUVs and minivans — are taking on a different look starting this week.

Tuesday marked the official start for the new standard for yellow cabs, ones that are minivans. 

The Nissan NV200, known as the "Taxi of Tomorrow," has been in the works for a few years, with several hundred already on city streets. The vans have charging ports for riders' electronics as well as large skylight roofs.

NYC's "Taxi of Tomorrow" (Image source: Nissan)

From this point on, most yellow cab owners will be required to switch to the Nissan models when it comes time to replace their current vehicles. Taxi officials estimate about 80 percent of the city's 13,600 yellow cabs will be NV200s. Some owners still will be able to choose from a short list of hybrid and wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Interior of the Nissan dubbed NYC's "Taxi of Tomorrow" (Image source: NYC.gov)

The full-scale implementation of the new design comes after a legal dispute. New York state's highest court had ruled in June that the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission had the authority to choose a particular model to replace retired cars.

The seven judges of the Court of Appeals unanimously decided against an association of taxi medallion owners, who had argued that the commission could set specifications but not choose a specific model.

Image source: Nissan

"Many millions of New Yorkers and visitors have already experienced rides in the more than 750 Taxis of Tomorrow - well before the city got final OK from the courts to formally launch the program," said TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi. "While this makes today's milestone a bit anticlimactic, we're very pleased and excited that passengers and drivers will be seeing and enjoying many more of them in the coming months and years."

Some are not impressed with the look of the vehicle though.

"Oh my God, that’s so ugly," Charles Cheung told the New York Times after spotting one.

Others, like Giona Jefferson, said that the experience of being in one of these cabs overrules the look.

"The overall ambience of your commute is happier. You’re not cramped in a little small raggedy Town Car-style of cab," she told the Times.

The plan for the cab had first been announced by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His successor, Bill de Blasio, had been among those opposing the plan, but his administration finally supported it when faced with the possibility of a Nissan lawsuit.

The city's yellow cabs have faced increased competition in recent years from app-based ride-hailing services like Uber.