New Yorkers trying to get around town by taxi Wednesday often found themselves sharing their ride with a group full of strangers. NY1 Transit reporter Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

There may have been a shortage of cabs, but there was no shortage of tired, outstretched arms in Midtown Wednesday, as would-be taxi riders tried to flag down a ride, with mixed results.

"It's impossible. And you know, you just have to make the best of it and take the bus,” said one rider.

The strike's impact was undeniable. Though you could still spot a cab on almost every block, by all accounts they were much harder to come by than usual. And with mandatory ride-sharing, even those cabs with their lights on weren't necessarily empty.

"The light was on, so you thought you could hail it, but in fact people were already in it. And sometimes they stopped, and sometimes they didn't stop,” said another rider.

Those who did share rides said the system worked surprisingly well.

"When I was in the cab with him, it was so easy for people on the streets, because he literally stopped every single block to pick up people,” said one person. “People were going in and out. It was like a bus."

Those cab drivers who crossed the picket lines and worked on Wednesday often found fewer people than usual even trying to hail a cab. But still, between the lack of competition and the ability to pick up multiple fares, many of them were making a killing.

“[Business] is excellent," said one driver. “Oh, it's completely different than a normal day. It's much better. Money-wise, it's much better."

Of course, that wasn't necessarily the case for passengers, who had to pay $10 to get in and $5 more each time they crossed into another zone.

"Ten dollars within one zone is kind of a lot, when it should have been like $6,” said a passenger. “[So it’s a] little bit more expensive than usual. But I think it's cheaper if you're going further. Like to Kennedy, it's $30, and usually that's about $50 with tip."

But don't get used to those new flat fares. It's expected the strike will conclude — and prices will go back to normal — Friday morning.

- Bobby Cuza