I had thought, and maybe I'm wrong about this, that taxi fares work somewhat differently in NYC.

The TLC website lists below. Basically, a $0.50 "unit" is for either 1/5 of a mile (if the taxi is going above 12mph), or 1 minute (if the taxi is going below 12mph). I had thought that, when a new "unit" starts, the meter simultaneously starts a clock and an odometer. When the clock hits 1 minute, or the odometer hits 0.2 miles (whichever comes first), it rolls over to a new unit, and restarts both the clock and the odometer. So, a fare of distance X would cost exactly the same amount if the average speed were 20mph, 15mph, or 12mph, and would start costing more if the average speed dropped below 12mph. Maybe I'm getting this wrong?

If I'm not, then Uber's structure is very different, since they're charging for time AND distance, not time OR distance.

Reference is below: http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/pas...cab_rate.shtml

$0.50 for each additional unit
The unit fare is:

One-fifth of a mile, when the Taxicab is traveling at 12 miles an hour or more; or
60 seconds (at a rate of $.50 per minute), when the Taxicab is traveling at less than 12 miles an hour.
The taximeter shall combine fractional measures of distance and time in accruing a unit of fare. Any combination of distance or time shall be computed by the taximeter in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 44.