New York, NY – Crooked cabbies trying to pull off the same massive meter scam as ex-driver Wasid Khalid Cheema — who holds the record rip-off crown — could soon find themselves tripped up by GPS technology.
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Cheema’s taxi license was revoked last month after the Taxi and Limousine Commission determined he overcharged 574 passengers in a single month simply by changing the setting on his meter from the in-city rate to the higher suburban rate.
That one little switch duped riders into paying double what they should have — until one became suspicious and filed a complaint.
Over the course of six months, officials said Cheema made off with an extra $40,000.
TLC investigators are now scouring the records of hundreds of other cabbies to find out whether the illegal practice was isolated or widespread.
Spokesman Allan Fromberg said the agency was also exploring upgrading the tracking technology in cabs when the contract for the system now in place comes up for review in September.
“We’ll be talking about ways we can affirmatively prevent a situation like this from occurring,” he said.
One possibility: a geographic tracking system that would automatically block meter rates from being changed to the suburban setting while a cab was traveling within the five boroughs.
Records show that Cheema, a taxi driver since May 2007, had amassed 11 violations at the Department of Motor Vehicles but had been able to keep driving because, in an extraordinary glitch, cabbies’ driving records were not being transmitted to the TLC.
This happened to me on the way home from JFK to Far Rockaway, the cab driver tried charging me double because we drove down the 878 which is in nassau county. I had to fight with him for 10 minutes, and even flagged a cop down to explain that since we started and ended in NYC he cant charge me double. After double checking with the TLC i confirmed that i was right. BEWARE of cabbies trying this!!!
To some of us on limited salaries, who are paid on the books, and ka”h have large families, $20. does count. How much do you get paid for each hour that you work? Yiddishe gelt is not meant to be thrown away to scammers.