The bus system is SLOW and people are pretty reliant on the subway system. Technically there's nothing wrong with the buses - they're actually very clean and reliable and way better smelling than the subway - but they just drive crazy slow and take forever at stops. When I was in Israel, the buses wouldn't even come to a full stop if the driver didn't feel like it and you had to jump on, but the buses also GOT SOMEWHERE in a reasonable amount of time.
Cabs are pretty expensive but safe and relatively clean. There's a cab driver's union and they have to go through fairly strict security checks and there's bulletproof glass between you and the driver (for your safety and theirs) and now there's an automated TV screen that plays irritating clips from news shows and talk shows and you have to disable the volume every time you get in. The cabbies can also refuse to take you somewhere if you aren't in the car with the door closed already, so very often they will drive by and roll up their windows and ask your destination, then just say "No way" and drive away if they don't want to take you. That's why a lot of us just get in the back of the cab (which is our right) and shut the door before saying the address. I've had a few cab drivers refuse me even then, but it's too much hassle to file a complaint.
We have Uber now, and people like it because they can call up for an Uber car while you have to go outside and wave for a cab (and if you're a person of color, they might not stop for you), but Uber doesn't come with the same safety guarantees as a yellow cab.
Some areas make cabs really necessary, like if you're trying to cross through Central Park (which is out of Hell's Kitchen's zone), because there's no subway lines through the park and the buses suck. Or actually if the weather is nice you can just run across the park in about the same time that a cab will take you during regular traffic hours.
Re: Ask about New York thread!
Cabs are pretty expensive but safe and relatively clean. There's a cab driver's union and they have to go through fairly strict security checks and there's bulletproof glass between you and the driver (for your safety and theirs) and now there's an automated TV screen that plays irritating clips from news shows and talk shows and you have to disable the volume every time you get in. The cabbies can also refuse to take you somewhere if you aren't in the car with the door closed already, so very often they will drive by and roll up their windows and ask your destination, then just say "No way" and drive away if they don't want to take you. That's why a lot of us just get in the back of the cab (which is our right) and shut the door before saying the address. I've had a few cab drivers refuse me even then, but it's too much hassle to file a complaint.
We have Uber now, and people like it because they can call up for an Uber car while you have to go outside and wave for a cab (and if you're a person of color, they might not stop for you), but Uber doesn't come with the same safety guarantees as a yellow cab.
Some areas make cabs really necessary, like if you're trying to cross through Central Park (which is out of Hell's Kitchen's zone), because there's no subway lines through the park and the buses suck. Or actually if the weather is nice you can just run across the park in about the same time that a cab will take you during regular traffic hours.