With gas prices on the rise (oh, you heard about that too?), taxi drivers are sweating through their turbans trying to get the Taxi & Limousine Commission to approve a surcharge for rides.

The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is asking for a $1.50 per-trip surcharge while gas prices hang between $2 to $4 and, should they exceed $4 per gallon, they want to levy a $2 surcharge. Meanwhile, the yellow taxi org Taxi Workers Alliance is looking for similar fees, claiming drivers are losing $60 to $90 a week while the president dilly dallies in the Middle East. But TLC commissioner Matthew Daus so far says he's only willing to "discuss" the issues.

But should we see any yellow cab surcharge hikes in the coming weeks, we suggest you do what we do: Wave around your HSBC ATM card and wait for the free HSBC cab to pick you up.