Photo by Vince Taroc.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

I've been in a lot of taxis. My travels around the country covering all things fleet make this a necessity. I’ve even sat in the front seat a number of times, either because there was no room in the back or because the driver engaged me in conversation that was best done face to face. In all my years, I’ve never been in the driver's seat, until now.

While the Nissan NV200 taxis first made their way onto New York City streets at the end of October, it took a few more months for one to show up at our office in Torrance, Calif. After taking a quick look around the vehicle and contemplating the best driving scenario for it, I was struck with an idea — why not take this NYC cab to a L.A. Dodgers game.

I plucked my extremely excited 8-year-old daughter into the backseat of the yellow cab, and her level of fervor instantly amped up by about 200 percent, because of the interior surroundings. The combination of the transparent partition, posted taxi driver "license," and intercom system made the first leg of the adventure to Dodger Stadium that much more amazing in her eyes.

My wife joined me in the front, giving me a nervous (but adorable) smile after looking at the thick partition separately us from the youngest of our brood, and we were off to the game.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

The intercom system airwaves were constantly filled with my daughter’s giggles and my wife asking for backseat updates. We made the drive quickly and comfortably, and received a number of double takes from drivers we passed on the freeway. When we rolled up, the gate guard smiled and asked if the flat rate fare for JFK airport applied to a ride to the Dodger game, pointing out the decal behind the driver's door.

The game was a blowout (the Dodgers punished the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 12-2 win), and we were surprised to see that director Penny Marshall was on hand to introduce the evening’s screening of "A League of Their Own," along with some of the actresses from the film, including Megan Cavanagh, who played the iconic Marla Hooch in the film.

After watching most of the film (my daughter's sugar levels were dipping and she was starting to crash), we headed back home in our yellow cab, with a quick stop for a final picture under the stadium's lit-up parking lot baseball lights.

Photo by Stephane Babcock.

Photo by Stephane Babcock.

Editor's note: View a full photo gallery of the Nissan NV200 taxi here.

About the author
Stephane Babcock

Stephane Babcock

Former Managing Editor

Stephane Babcock is the former managing editor of Heavy Duty Trucking.

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