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Because of smartphone apps like Uber, taxi politics have gotten a lot of press lately. One of the claims Uber proponents make is that normal taxis do not serve everybody.

In New York City, taxis are heavily regulated. There are only about 14,000 taxis allowed to pick up passengers off the street in the center of the city. Uber gets around this regulation by only picking up passengers who request a ride on the app.

Because there are few taxis, critics say that they can get away with only serving the few. Some claim that taxis only serve those with the privilege to live in the city center, and that they are biased against people of color.

As a New Yorker who has spent my fair share of time waiting in taxi traffic on my bicycle, I wanted to get some understanding about this issue. Are taxis actually unfair, as critics claim?