New York, NY – The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission plans to revoke the licenses of 633 drivers for routinely overcharging customers as part of a scheme that cost passengers $1.1 million, it was announced on Friday.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The commission had previously accused about 35,000 taxi drivers of overcharging riders, costing passengers a total of $8.3 million. The number of suspected drivers was subsequently reduced. New figures released on Friday show that, in all, 21,819 drivers overcharged passengers a total of 286,000 times, the commission said.
Of those, the majority — 13,315 — only overcharged riders once or twice.
But a nucleus of 633 drivers did much of the stealing, overcharging riders 50 or more times by activating a switch that charged them out-of-town rates. It is those drivers who will likely lose their licenses.
David Yassky, chairman of the commission, said in a statement that criminal charges could be possible for the most egregious offenders. He said the offending drivers used the switch as a means of “surreptitiously padding their pockets and taking advantage of a trusting public.”
“We will be taking appropriate actions to see that these drivers do not again have the opportunity to betray their passengers and their fellow drivers,” Mr. Yassky said.
The case has been referred to the city’s Department of Investigation and the office of the Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.
James Vacca, a member of the City Council who represents the Bronx and chairs the transportation committee, said in a statement Friday there was reason for anger even if the number of offenders was smaller than previously thought.
“Riders have a right to pay the appropriate fare and not a penny more,” Mr. Vacca said. “While the number of cabbies accused of repeated overcharging is relatively small, that in no way limits how outraged we should be by those who nickel-and-dimed riders.”
Yes, it should be so.
Please do not forget the TLC messed up. They should have mandated equipment thta would chime or announce the fare change. even scroll it on the screen.
Drivers, this is why we needed th new equipment, to stop thieves.
So stealing only once or twice is ok now. And weren’t we told it was only a handfull of drivers , but what do you know hey ho they are all crooks after all. Glad I left this city years ago.
Why should there be a regulated price for taxis?
Free market would suggest that I can charge and/or pay as much as I want to get from point a. to point b.
“… If you don’t like my prices, shop elsewhere!! (just like the butcher, mortgage broker, painter or mechanic you hire.)…”
Where does the whole regulation on “fares” come from anyway?
Does anyone know the history of this weird concept?
It smells like a relic of the mafia run unions, and bribed commisioners era..
Why aren’t they getting jail time for this?! Followed by deportation to Pakistan?! There are few things worse than dodgy New York (i.e., non-American) cab drivers. Except perhaps for the even more scammy medallion fleet owners that lease out their cabs to migrant cabdrivers who don’t even know the geography of the five boroughs. As I’ve heard it, the cost of a New York City taxi with medallion (license) is on par with the cost of a new Bentley. If so, why does the public have to endure smelly, uncomfortable and artificially overpriced taxis while most of the taxi profits are being sucked out by absentee rentier fleet owners?!!!!
Maybe these anti-Semitic cab drivers who are mostly pro-terrorist will go back where they came from.
However the drivers that have rented the same cabs for the last five years will not be asked for their licenses and will either make a photoshop license or simply say they forgot it today, leaving passengers unable to make a complaint because there is no name to file against.