Final Two New York Crown Vic Taxis Face Retirement

The last two Crown Vic NY taxicabs may soon be retired, ending a 21-year-long era for the famous yellow Panther bodies.

The first long-wheelbase Crown Vic left the production line in 2002, marking the beginning of a golden age for the stately, imposing vehicle. The design is undoubtedly ubiquitous, known all over the world in various configurations. Everything from police to private chauffeur work. But arguably no Crown Vic design surpasses the famous yellow livery of the New York taxicab. To the millennial generation, it became as synonymous with New York as pizza, Times Square, and the Empire State Building. During its heyday, over 7,400 yellow Crown Vics serviced fares throughout the city. But by 2012, the car was no longer on the approved list of taxis for new medallions. Slowly but surely, all of them were phased out entirely. All but two.

According to a recent article by the New York Times, the two in question belong to Haroon Abdullah and Ravinder Sharma. Their cars collectively boast over one million miles between them, with Sharma’s reaching 550,000 miles and Abdullah’s having 490,000. And mind you, that’s mostly city miles. For context, that’s enough distance to get to the Moon and back. Twice.

Golden Years

Image credit: The Worldsmith via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

As for these two particular taxis, New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) put a regulation into place limiting the age of any operating taxi to seven years. However, Abdullah and Sharma were able to extend the life of their Crown Vics during the COVID-19 pandemic. With those extensions over, the two men recently started skipping TLC safety inspections, which naturally the agency did not react well. So each man was given a summons for a hearing where the fate of their beloved Fords will likely see their service come to an end.

According to spokesperson Jason Kerstan for TLC, said that the two Crown Vics were “the last of their kind… As it was with the Model Ts, Checkers and Caprices before them, their final act of safety must be a well-earned retirement.”

What will Abdullah and Sharma do if their meters are seized and their Crown Vics are put out to pasture? Sharma plans to petition the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) for an extra few months with his Crown Vic, at which point he’ll hit 65 and retire. “If they allow me to drive, I drive,” he said, “If they don’t, I take my Social Security, and retire.” Abdullah’s cab has no such excuse, as it’s long past its seven-year usability date. He purchased the cab in 2013 as a replacement for his loss from Hurricane Sandy for $21,000. Following the medallion bubble bursting of 2014 and the pandemic, the cab’s certainly seen a lot.

However, as they say, rules are rules.

On a personal note, I grew up just outside of Manhattan and rode in a number of yellow Crown Vics. Their presence seemed almost perennial, even going through the mid to late-2010s. Whole fleets fell victim to Hurricane Sandy, which dwindled their numbers significantly. But you always saw them zipping through traffic, their big and easily-maintained V8s ensuring their longevity for many years. It’s undoubtedly saddening to a lot of people to see these icons finally leave the streets, though after 21 years, they’ve certainly earned a well-deserved retirement.

Top Image Credit: Dennis Fraevich via Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Both images were cropped to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.