[Grammar] Transportation: bus, subway, and taxi

[leslieking]

Hi,
I have a few sentences:

1. He's taking the bus.
2. She's taking the subway.
3. They're taking a taxi.

1. These people are taking the subway.
2. These people are taking the bus.
3. These people are taking a taxi.

I have two questions
First question: Are all of the sentences in the present continuous tense?
Second question: Why do we use "a" instead of "the" with taxi?

 

[Tdol]

1 Yes
2 I'd say that 1 & 2 are seen as a service; a taxi isn't provided in the same way as the subway.