Lime green taxis have been cruising New York streets for two years now, but do you know the difference between a yellow and green taxi? NY1's Erin Clarke filed the following report.
Nancy Soria has been driving people around New York for six years.
"I get to go to so many places, to parts of the city that I've never been to before and now I get to meet a lot of interesting people," she said.
In 2013, Soria became a driver for the Taxi and Limousine Commission's Borough Taxi Program aimed to improve service in areas yellow taxis typically don't go, but Soria says many people in the places the program aims to serve don't know how green taxis work.
The commission is trying to get the word out about the program that is the only legal way to catch a taxi without pre-arranging the trip.
Livery cabs that are not green are not licensed to pick up street hails.
"If you hail a car that's not green you don't know who's driving it, you don't know if it's insured, you don't know what they're going to charge you. Worst of all, if something goes wrong, we have no way to track that ride to help you out," explained NYC Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi.
Green taxis, like the yellow ones, offer a metered fare and can be hailed in Manhattan north of West 110th Street or East 96th Street and in the other boroughs, except at the airports. They can drop you off anywhere.
"We weren't really responding to the needs of Manhattan travelers because they have the yellow taxi system," said Joshi. "The green taxis are designed to benefit the Bronx and the other boroughs and so they have free reign to travel all throughout the boroughs."
And like the competition, TLC taxis - yellow or green - can be hailed from a smartphone using the apps "Way 2 Ride" or "Arrow", offering an easier way around the city to those historically underserved by the yellow taxi industry.
"In neighborhoods, especially in the borough, where you may not see a taxi right in front of you, but there may be one around the corner, the app lets you see around the corner and hail that taxi with the same convenience you can in the middle of Manhattan," Joshi said.