Most cabbies complain about nyc car service cars picking up people who hail them from the street. That is an illegal thing to do, but these drivers are at least licensed professionals who have the job of specifically driving passengers around in all parts of New York City, some of the neighborhoods aren’t so safe either, so it is an unwritten rule to look the other way with this behavior. Everybody has to make a living, and these drivers are at least licensed by New York City to drive New Yorkers around.
What bothers me is a particular rare breed of taxicab that is not even licensed by New York City. Rather these cars, older yellow Ford Crown Victorias with various taxicab stickers designed to look similar to the official NYC taxi stickers, is licensed to operate in another town in New York State. Legally these taxis, are supposed to pick-up people in Westchester County or wherever, not in New York City. I shoudn’t be seeing them going a crosstown, I shouldn’t be seeing them cruising the Lower East Side and Williamsburg at 3am on the weekends, and I definitely shouldn’t be seeing them parked across the street from a hotel. It is one thing to be picking up people illegally, but this cab takes it one step further by lying to customers, pretending it is something it isn’t.
The value of a New York City taxi medallion is $800,000 dollars now, and these cabs don’t have a medallion.
The pricing on the meter is unregulated and officially stated on the door to increase every 6th of a mile, while the legal taxicabs have a regulated meter that increases every 5th of a mile.
Because these cabs are not regulated by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, they follow absolutely none of the rules of the commission. This car is too old to be a yellow cab, the meter charges more, they do not take credit cards, who knows what else is wrong with this.
For all I know there could be 4 or 5 of these cars working for a company illegally. Here are my pictures:
I saw this car at 83rd street or 85th street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. The car was parked there all day long, which convinces me that the owner lives in the neighborhood, which I might add is the wealthiest neighborhood in New York City. The following 7 pictures are of the same car. each picture is examining decals on the cab which are similar but different from official New York licensed decals, designed to give the customer enough confidence to ride in this car. 3 more pictures are posted of another cab I’ve seen more recently driving around New York City doing the same thing.
Check out http://www.NYCTaxiPhoto.com
Wow, that is one way to reduce overhead and increase profits.
Extremely few will attempt this, and In the long term it won’t last.
Wrong Taxi Emperor …I know some of them FAKE Taxis Guys who have been doing it at least 25 years …the 85 st guy is 1 for sure and numerous others …They buy OUR Old taxis and when TLC siezes them …They lay low and come back AGAIN and Again …..With different cabs …..Good shots Brooklyn Mark …..
new jersey have the same kind of taxi also, so what? TLC cannot handle this, TLC can only pick on the legal driver., I wish there can be more on the street and let see how TLC catch them all.
This is a terrible practice and should be stopped. I am in complete support of stopping this behavior, but call into question some of the pictures (specifically those with license plates). Why is it that one picture has a white NY plate and two others show yellow ones with different numbers. Even if switchin to the newer yellow plates, why would the actual plate number be changed… sounds fishy! All other marks on the car match up in all pics though.
I saw him at the meter shop on 47 st; he was buying roll paper and ink.
Unpredictably most police precinct has fake yellow cabs too. Cops use that to catch cabbies and law-breaking motorists.
you should send those pictures to taxi insider magazine and to fricking TLC.
Thanks Mark! And thanks for finding that picture on the top, The original fake taxi from way back in 2003!!! and that cab is still driving the streets too!!
the numbers on the license plates not matching with each other is proof that either there are a small handful of these cabs on the streets, i figure maybe 6 or 7, or maybe 2 or 3 drivers who’ve gotten their cars seized and went out and purchased another old crown victoria and hacked it up all over again with brand new registration.
The problem here is that they have to be caught in the act of picking up a passenger who is clearly hailing them from the street. And unfortunately it is easier for the T&LC to regulate their own cars.
This SHOULD TAKE PRIORITY. These people are STEALING MONEY from New York City, and they are stealing money from their passengers.
No problem Noah. I actually took that first picture myself just last week!
Here’s my second posting with some videos of fake taxis http://www.nyctaxiphoto.com/2012/05/fake-taxi-drive-bys.html
And here is an article from 2003 by Eugene, of Cabs Are For Kissing:
http://cabsareforkissing.blogspot.com/2006/10/interview-with-vampire.html
Cool Mark!! great pic!! I saw that car in the middle of the day in front of Katz’s a month ago, can’t believe he’s still doing it.
Yea, lets see whats happens in 2 months after this post.
1) TLC starts enforcement
or
2) More people start putting together fake yellow cabs
LOL!! yep and hate to be as much as a pessimist as every other reader here, but…. well, i think I’ll bet on the later.
The TLC doesn’t know where to look,
but a good con-artist always knows how.
Idiots,
Those cabs were parked on 6th ave close to Hilton at 53 ST. They were there for shooting a movie. bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Every time they shoot movie outdoor in NYC, there should be yellowcabs, because yellowcab is the icon recognized by the world. Unfortunately, inside story is far from being glamorous.
If I see one fake one on the road, I will follow that cab to find what is actually going on. If that cab picks up somebody, I will shoot video and I upload it to YouTube.
I’ve seen Prius V (Versatile) Wagon yellowcab recently. It seems to me a better choice than Nissan NV200. Similar price but hybrid with 40mpg, more passenger room n loading space than original Prius, flat floor n even optional passenger side sunroof. N it looks better.
started driving a hack back in 1974 and by 1979 realized that it was not necessary to use a yellow cab to make money. I could use a private car.
When I started the TLC was CORRUPT & taxi dispatchers @ the airports were all on the take. I could go down to 87 Beaver street and get my tickets fixed. Payoff a TLC employee so that the ticket never happened and paid a fraction of what the ticket was worth.
Now the TLC is big business & run by the bureacrats & much more corrupt.
Back in the old days you would get tickets for flag up ( not putting the meter on for you newbie’s) if you worked for a garage it was a way of cutting out your garage & the TLC gave you tickets for cheating the garage. They worked for the fleet owners and still do but now there are no garage’s just people who own 100′s maybe 1000′s of medialions who lease them out.
Not filling out your trip sheet was a standard ticket the TLC liked to give.
I saw what the city was doing this was also @ the time when the city started to realize how much revenue they could produce with parking tickets but back then they went through a big scandal with the parking violations bureau due to Donald R. Manes Queens Borough President so it took them some years to get back on track with the PVB it’s now a 800 million dollar a year business for the city.
The TLC is never going to stand up for cabbies if they would it would mean less revenue for the city.
Advertising on cabs who’s making out? Who the owners of the advertising companies who have direct links to city hall.
Credit card processing companies are making out and they also have direct connections to city hall.
I could go on & on but you already know all of this.
NYPD are the finest but their job description has become serve & protect and give out summones they are here to provide the city with revenue they probably write in the course of year 5 times what their salaries are. Why ? Money.
I worked at JFK for many years taking passengers in my car & avoided the TLC, PAPD and everyone else who was looking to put their hand in my pocket. Because that’s all it’s about anymore someone putting their dirty, filithy hand in your pocket and making laws to take from the honest & hardworking stiff.
Look @ Bloomberg he was able to get the city council to amend the city constitution to allow him to run for mayor a third time. Why ? Money.
2001 his wealth was 4 BILLION dollars
2012 his wealth is 22 BILLION dollars making him # 20 of the richest people in the world according to forbes magazine.
Being mayor definitely has it’s reward.
Thanks,
For posting my comments.
How do I start my own thread?
Eddie
In conversation with a prominent taxi figure (non driver) from Boston last fall, he was in the nouveau up-scale Boston Seaport district for dinner with his wife and went over to the taxi stand where sitting top was a Bay State Taxi from Brookline, MA. He said to the woman driver what are you doing on the cab stand? Her response was I’m a cab! He told her to get out of here! I can’t remember whether she did leave or stayed, but I don’t remember hearing she left! He was astounded. And was further amazed that the Boston cab drivers parked behind her let her stay there and poach in front of their faces. He said Boston suffers from poachers from Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville, three border towns, the most flagrant being the blue and white Ford Crown Vic Bay State taxis, who have not been required to upgrade to Camrys, Altimas, Siennas. Of the Brookline taxi poachers, he says Bay State taxis are the worst, and the minute there is no Boston cab on a stand, there is a Bay State blue and white sitting top! The Brookline Red Cab is solid red, so is the Brookline Town Taxi black cab. The reds and blacks have more of their own fish to fry, with the black Towns rarely seen poaching or standing still.. A joke goes around, Guess what I saw the other day, a Brookline cab in Brookline. When I asked, how would they like it if Boston cabs sat on their prominent stands? He said there are no cabs there to care! In Cambridge, he says, if a Boston cab even parks on a stand and leaves his cab for food or rest room stop, cabs have been towed and driver returned to find cab gone!
A prominet taxi figure (non driver) took his wife to dinner in Boston’s nouveau Seaport district and sitting top on the taxi stand was a Bay State Taxi of Brookline, behind her several Boston cabs, he asked the woman driver, what are you doing here, and she said I’m a cab. He told her to get off the stand. Surprising, the Boston cabbies behind her did nothing.
Here’s another one, with the driver who scams his passengers…