Dollar van

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A dollar van (also known as commuter van or jitney) is a privately owned transportation vehicle used to carry passengers. Dollar vans typically operate in neighborhoods within a city, such as New York, that are under-served by public mass transit or taxis. Passengers may board them at designated stops along their route or hail them as share taxis (although the latter practice may be technically illegal). The name comes from the fact that it would only cost about one dollar or so to ride with such transit. Dollar vans are primarily owned and used by inner-city African/Caribbean American, Latino, and Asian American populations. The vehicles used range from 15-seat Ford Econolines to 29-seat minibuses.

During periods when even limited public mass transit is unavailable, such as the January 2005 Green Bus Lines and Command Bus Company strike or the December 2005 New York City transit strike, dollar vans may become the only feasible method of transportation for many commuters. Consequently, city governments may pass legislation to deter price gouging in such situations.