Uli Seit for The New York TimesNot going green: Tofa Monal, a livery driver based in Queens, said that painting his car the new city-mandated hue would make it too conspicuous.
José Trivino leaned against his shiny, black Lincoln Town Car in Jamaica, Queens on Monday, gawking at a newspaper photo of the new “Boro Taxi.”
When Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled the official city-mandated color for livery cars that will be allowed to pick up people who hail them on streets outside Manhattan, he called the bright, lime-like hue “apple green.” Mr. Trivino had another word for it.
“It’s repulsive,” he said. “When people get dressed up to go out for the evening, they want to see a black car, not this.” He motioned to the newspaper photo. “My work car is also my personal car. Do you think I want to drive home in that?”
Not a single car service or livery driver interviewed during an informal survey of about a dozen in Queens on Monday expressed an intention to buy one of the 6,000 outer-borough licenses they can apply for starting May 29. Those who were O.K. with the color cited a range of financial and regulatory concerns.
Tofa Monal, who has driven a livery cab for the two years since he moved from Bangladesh to Astoria, Queens, said he did not mind the new cabs’ minty tint. But he said it would cost too much to purchase a license, paint or replace his car, and install a meter, lights and credit-card machine.
Besides, he said, the conspicuous color would make it a lot harder for him to pick up illegal hails, which he does unapologetically.
“If I got a green car with a meter, it would prevent me from going to Manhattan,” he said as he sat in his parked car in Long Island City, Queens. (In Manhattan, green livery cabs will not be allowed to pick up street hails south of East 96th and West 110th Streets.) “It’s like a target.”
Franz Mairaj, a driver for Dial 7 Car Limousine Service in Long Island City, said he did not believe the new green taxis would benefit their drivers. “This will generate revenue for the city,” he said, standing outside the company’s headquarters in a crisp suit. “For drivers, it’s another expense.”
The new hue found a true fan, though, in Syed Hussein, who drives for Elite Limousine Plus in Long Island City. Mr. Hussein will not be painting his car green, because his company dispatches cars to a list of regular clients, but he praised the color and the new street hail system effusively. “It’s good for New Yorkers, and it’s also a great color,” he said. “It’s my favorite color. I love green. Green is good on the eyes.”
