US News

TAXI TRIAL RUN A FARE DEAL

Mayor Bloomberg might be on to something.

His grand plan to shut down two big stretches of Broadway appears to be steering taxi riders to a cheaper alternative down Seventh Avenue.

A Post road test of three possible routes from West 48th Street and Broadway down to West 32nd Street and Broadway showed the trip down Seventh, though slightly longer, was the most cost-effective.

On a rush-hour ride yesterday evening, it cost $5.70 to make the 6-minute, 32-second trip down Seventh, counting the $1 rush-hour surcharge.

The cab ride straight down Broadway – which Bloomberg’s plan would render impossible – was more than a minute faster, but still cost more: $5.90, probably because of longer waits at traffic lights.

The slowest route tested took a reporter east on West 48th Street, down Fifth Avenue, and then across West 31st Street to Broadway. From that corner, the reporter walked north one block.

The cab portion of the trip took 13 minutes and 53 seconds, and racked up a fare of $8.90, counting the surcharge.

City officials hope their plan would make the trip on Seventh Avenue even faster, by eliminating the Broadway crossover at 45th Street.

But driver Dorji Tenzing said it will make things slower by clogging the normally speedy corridor.

“All taxis will now come to Seventh Avenue to get fares,” he said. “Congestion is bad enough already.”