Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Dollar Vans
If there were a Flatbush Hall of Fame the first inductee would have to be the DOLLAR VAN. The dollar van has been a staple on Flatbush for a long time. Since I drive now, I haven’t taken a dollar van for almost 3 years. Last time I took a dollar van, it cost a $1.50. I think it might be more now. Does anyone know? The dollar vans were my life savior while in High School and College. I did not need a car to take my girlfriend to Kings Plaza. I had a girl who lived on Empire and we would be at Kings Plaza in less than 15 Minutes by dollar van. For all of you who don’t have a car, the dollar van is a great bet. It’s faster than the Bus. The only catch is that they will only go up and down on Flatbush Avenue and nowhere else. On top of that ever since Jullie Annie cracked down on illegal vans in the 90’s, the TLC now regulates the dollar vans.
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11 comments:
dollar vans are 1.50 now.
There is also a dollar mini-van that goes down church ave. from Flatbush ave. to points east.
There are dollar vans and dollar vans. Some, with livery plates, are regulated, insured, and legal (although I don't think they're supposed to pick people up at bus stops). Others have regular passenger car plates (sometimes out-of-state). If you're injured in an accident in these illegal vans you've got a real problem since they're not insured.
I've seen dollar vans on Utica and Nostrand, too. When I lived in Crown Heights a few years ago, there would always be vans honking incessantly at the corner of Utica and Eastern Parkway.
I used to take dollar vans (they also run along the Rockaways) when I lived in Florida and visited New York, but I live here again and now the monthly MetroCard has made them irrelevant for me, as have the limited buses that don't stop on every block. Bus service has improved a great deal from the 1980s, when the vans started up.
What worries me about them as a lawyer is what Bobmarvin said about liability in case of accidents. I was not aware that the TLC regulated any of them.
I never had a bad experience on a dollar van.
I used to ride the dollar vans alot from J.H.S. through College. It was convenient when going to the "Plaza" or the "Parkway" to catch the # 4. I no longer use the dollar van b/c the drivers are (and have always been) pretty reckless. Excessive speed on crowded Utica & Flatbush wasn't a big deal back then (especially with the reggae and rockers music coming through the speakers). However, now I'm married and have a family to take care of. Also, my parents are not getting younger, I have to be there for them also. Riding in a dollar van would just be another possibility of injury. Approximately 1-2 years ago a woman was struck by a dollar mini-van on Flatbush and died.
I think you might have a better chance of getting killed by the fried chicken and other cholesterol and saturated fat that they sell in flatbush than a Dollar van. Dollar van drivers are professional drivers. That was a freak accident that happens once in a blue moon. Yellow cabs in Manhattan are as dangerous, if not more. You can easily tell license vans from unlicensed ones by looking at the Livery plates.
my husband a van driver they are loyal and care for there custumers alot, also the price has gone up to 2$ because of the economy and gas but they brought it down to 150$ because they started losing custumers
Dollar van prices have gone up; from 1.50 to 2.00 in early fy 2008. The reasons stated were (if my memory serves) rising gas prices, recession and the inflation tax. These guys are usually cool, mostly Caribbean music flows out of the speakers. Although one time my girlfriend and my white ass got picked up and the driver told another driver at the stop light, "We're picking up crumbs, now?!" We just laughed and my loudmouth ex said, "Crumbs, I thought we were crackers!" Ha ha. There goes the neighborhood. Better than public transpo, by far. The gov't just don't like competition, in the legal and illegal business it carries out.
They're $2 now.
Can someone recommend the names and pick up locations of some dollar vans that will take me from brooklyn (either park slope or downtown over the manhattan bridge) to downtown chinatown or even to midtown, manhattan - PLEASE
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