Survey: Most New Yorkers Fail City's Taxi Exam

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- When it comes to geography, New Yorkers don't measure up to the city's foreign-born taxi drivers.

In a recent survey, native New Yorkers overwhelmingly failed the city's taxi exam, with 71 percent scoring 50 percent or lower, according to the New York Post.

Only 17 percent answered more than six out of the 10 questions correctly, the Post reported.

1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten reports

For example, 32 percent knew that the Guggenheim Museum is on 89th Street and Fifth Avenue and just 21 percent knew that the Algonquin Hotel is on 44th Street just west of Fifth Avenue, according to the Post.

The paper quizzed 100 locals on 10 questions from the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy.

Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky said cabbies work hard to learn the city as a opposed to the average person.

"Taxi drivers are trained, they have a mandatory three-day course, much of that is on New York City geography," Yassky told 1010 WINS. "So, New Yorkers shouldn't take it too hard that they can't pass the cabbie test."

Drivers are required to pass an 80 question test as opposed to the 10 question exam most New Yorkers couldn't pass and Yassky said they deserve respect for what they have to know to do the job.

"Taxi drivers know their way around the city, as they're supposed to," Yassky said. "I think regular New Yorkers maybe underestimate just how much knowledge a taxi driver has to have to do the job day in, day out."

Yassky himself didn't fare too well on the test, scoring a six out of 10, according to the Post.

How well do you think you know the city? Let us know below...