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From Cool News of the Day "It is illegal to charge for rides in Checker cabs in New York City because they are old and discontinued, but that hasn't stopped Ray Kottler (who is also old but refuses to be discontinued), as reported by Conrad Mulcahy in The New York Times. Ray will pick you up for free. "It's a free ride," he explains to passengers, "and if you want you can give me free money." Right -- tips. It's "perfectly legal" and many passengers are quite generous about it: "Young people give me $20 when it's an $8 ride," says Ray.

Why wouldn't they? "Those who have experienced the oceanic interior" of a Checker Cab "speak wistfully of a paradise on wheels. Eyes light up at the words 'jump seat' and descriptions of nearly unlimited legroom are savored like a porterhouse at Peter Luger's ... Something about the feel of the seats, the sound of the engine and all that legroom transports the passenger back in time." As he drives "his 1982 Checker cab down Ninth Avenue at a modest 10 miles an hour," Ray "knows the allure remains" and that "free is a state of mind." He's 80 years old and has been a cabbie for 59 of those years. "There's a lot that I can point out," he says. No kidding. More than perhaps he realizes.

A good taxi blog here at newyorkhack.blogspot from a lady cabbie.