Mayor Bloomberg went on a spitting-mad rant against a city cab-fleet boss who won a court victory over Hizzoner’s planned “Taxi of Tomorrow” — vowing to “destroy your f–king industry” when he leaves office, The Post has learned.

A fuming Bloomberg made the threat against Taxi Club Management CEO Gene Freidman at Madison Square Garden’s private 1879 Club during last Thursday’s Knick playoff game, a witness said yesterday.

“It was like Gene had kidnapped his child. He used the f-word twice,” the witness said.

Freidman confirmed the blow-up to The Post, and said Bloomberg’s tirade included the warning that, “After January, I am going to destroy all you f–king guys.”

That’s bad news for Bloomberg’s political enemies, who could all become targets once the revenge-minded billionaire has nothing but time on his hands.

Freidman approached Bloomberg at the exclusive club a day after a judge ruled that the mayor’s plan to replace the city’s taxi fleet with the Taxi of Tomorrow violated a city code requiring a hybrid-cab option for garage owners.

“I saw Bloomberg and his security there in the club, so I went over and said, ‘Tell me what is going on with the Taxi of Tomorrow?’ ” Freidman, 42, said yesterday.

“He turns to me, and said, ‘Come January 1st, when I am out of office, I am going to destroy your f–king industry.’

“I said, ‘Whoa, Mr. Mayor, calm down! Why can’t I sit down with you and figure out something that works?’ He got back in my face and said, ‘After January, I am going to destroy all you f–king guys,’ ” said Freidman, whose company operates a fleet of 925 yellow cabs.

Freidman said a red-faced Bloomberg’s jaw was clenched.

“He was very angry, very scary, very violent in a non-physical way. He was grinding his teeth, he was spitting, he was red and he was in my face,” the self-styled “King of the Road” claimed.

“The mayor was extremely disrespectful, and not ‘mayorly’ at all. He cursed at me, and when we walked away, I asked a friend who was with me, ‘Did the mayor just threaten me?’

“My friend responded, ‘No, he threatened you twice.’ ”

The mayor’s office declined to comment.

The witness said Bloomberg was just being a sore loser over state Supreme Court Justice Peter H. Moulton’s ruling.

The Taxi of Tomorrow is a Bloomberg pet project that would have replaced nearly the entire of fleet of yellow cabs with a more spacious model that Nissan won the right to design in an open competition.

The taxi industry, led by Freidman, challenged the overhaul — and Bloomberg seeing his foe at MSG set him off, the witness said.

“Bloomberg thinks that everyone should just follow his decisions,” he said.

Freidman said he tried to placate the mayor by reminding him of a meeting in 2006 when Bloomberg praised him for introducing hybrid fuel and wheelchair-accessible taxis.

But nothing would calm Bloomberg — who at one point looked about for security to toss Freidman from the club.

“This was my club that Bloomberg was a guest in, that I had paid to get in, and he wasn’t getting me kicked out of my own place,” said Freidman.

His lawyers have asked MSG to preserve any surveillance video that may have captured the exchange.

Freidman wondered how the mayor planned to “destroy” his industry.

“I don’t know how he’ll destroy me, whether he’ll start a black-car service that will take people for free,” he said. “Perhaps he’ll put $10 million of his own money to lobby against the taxi industry — that is pretty powerful.”

esmith@nypost.com

The Taxi and Limousine Commission is cracking down on gypsy cabs and illegal dollar vans, and its enforcement team takes hundreds of unlicensed vehicles off the streets every month. NY1′s Courtney Gross filed the following report.

So-called dollar vans dart along congested Flatbush Avenue in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. For about two bucks a ride, these vans provide a quick ride through transit-starved neighborhoods.

Some of the dollar vans are legit, but many aren’t. So every day, Taxi and Limousine Commission officers and NYPD officers tail rogue vans to take them off the streets.

NY1 tagged along on Friday, and not long into the trip, the officers found an unlicensed dollar van. Several women who were headed to Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue were now stranded far from their destination.

“Everybody needs money in their pocket. So what?” said one passenger.

The women walked to the bus, and the TLC crew moved on and nabbed another unlicensed van around the corner.

“I am taking it to the staging area, if it starts,” an officer said.

They drove off and prepped for the impound, and the driver was left on the curb.

“The drivers, they are going to receive two tickets. One ticket is for being unlicensed and they are going to receive a second ticket to the owner of the vehicle and they’re also going to receive a seizure form,” said TLC official Ron Sobers.

The seized van will eventually go to a tow lot in Williamsburg. It’s just one of between 700 to 800 vehicles the TLC seizes every month.

TLC Chairman David Yassky said a licensed passenger van would have a “TLC license plate and it’s got the round TLC sticker there. Then you know it’s been licensed, it’s a legitimate vehicle.”

Yassky said this initiative is part of a new crackdown.

“We want people to provide the service, but we want them to do it with the right insurance and we want the driver to be licensed, so that the passengers can have the protection of knowing that the driver has been drug tested, has been screened for a good DMV record and screened for a criminal record,” said Yassky.

So TLC officers continue to tell drivers of unlicensed vehicles to turn over the keys, write them a ticket and then send them away on foot.

By: Courtney Gross

“Turn around; see what else is back there,” Mr. Khalid recently told Legend Wilson, 7, who was riding in the cab with his mother, May Wilson. “There’s a lot of options.”

Ms. Wilson said that her son had plenty of candy at home. “Come on, he can have some; he’s in the candy cab!” Mr. Khalid insisted. “I’ll call you when he has to go to the dentist,” Ms. Wilson said as her son collected a small pile of treats.

Free candy isn’t the only perk of riding with Mr. Khalid, a 37-year-old electrical engineer from Pakistan who has been driving a yellow cab since 1996. He also recently bought a $400 subwoofer that, in his words, makes “your heart go boom,” and invites customers to plug their devices into the speakers. To complete the nightclub-in-a-cab experience, the car is also outfitted with an advanced lighting system that, when activated, flashes fluorescent reds, blues and purples.

“Everybody is depressed, stressed, New York City is not an easy life, so when New Yorkers see all the candies, chocolates,” they cheer up, Mr. Khalid said. “Some people start screaming, they’re so happy.”

His altruism isn’t bad for business, either. Mr. Khalid’s cab has become an Internet celebrity, earning thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. That loyal online following supplies a steady stream of customers for Mr. Khalid, who fields frequent requests for pickups from fans who send their locations to him via Twitter or Facebook.

Mr. Khalid also uses Twitter and Instagram to advertise his services, posting pictures of grinning couples with handfuls of candy.

This grassroots outreach is one way that yellow cabs can rise above the fray in an increasingly competitive market. Last month, the Uber app became the first service to allow New Yorkers to hail yellow cabs with their smartphones, though a pilot program for the apps remains mired in court.

With the candy cab, Mr. Khalid has essentially created his own personal Uber, with nothing more than his smartphone and social media savvy.

But don’t expect the 13,000 other yellow taxis to follow suit any time soon. The $300 a month Mr. Khalid spends on candy would probably be a dealbreaker for most cabbies.

“If you think about it, you have to wonder why he does it,” said Juan Miranda, who drives Mr. Khalid’s cab during the day. “The way it is now, every time I brake, it falls forward.”

Mr. Khalid’s customers certainly appreciate the effort. One rider, Casandra Johnson, was quiet during the first few moments of her ride with Mr. Khalid a few weeks ago, but perked up once she saw the stash in the back seat. “I was in a bad mood because I’ve been lugging boxes all day,” she said, “You just totally changed my Monday.”

Another passenger wrote on Twitter, “Sweetest ride in fifteen years. Left my bag of knitting there, but gained so much at heart when I googled you. God bless.”

She was referring to the somber back story of Mr. Khalid’s generosity. His son, Saad, was born in 2010 with a congenital heart defect, and when Mr. Khalid visited him at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx after his night shift, he would bring coffee for the doctors and nurses there, who called him “coffee man.”

“My average was 20 bucks every night, for coffee and sweets,” he said.

Saad died last April, only 18 months old. When Mr. Khalid returned to work, he decided to turn his cab into a rolling celebration.

A year later, Mr. Khalid said that he still has not moved on. He still smells his son’s old clothing, and has kept the boy’s room untouched. But he learned from his time in the hospital that giving to others could at least hide, if not heal, his own feelings of loss.

“I like to buy something for people; I feel good,” Mr. Khalid said. “When you give something from your hand, you feel very good when someone gives a smile.”

A version of this article appeared in print on 05/16/2013, on page A21 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Free Sweets In His Cab, To Delight And to Heal.

Watch the video – http://nyti.ms/10GMcZc

“We are gratified by Judge Moulton’s decision. We have always maintained that we need taxis that can withstand New York City roadways and traffic. Safety must rule over bureaucratic pipe dreams and policies. As many cars have proven, not every automobile can withstand the difficulties of New York’s streets. The so-called Taxi of Tomorrow has never been built or tested. This administration cannot gamble with the safety of New York City residents. That is why today’s decision is a win for not just the drivers, but our city’s residents as well.”

Decision and Order

CityWide series host Ken Fisher talks with Commissioner David Yassky, Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Yassky discusses how technology and demand for increased service has changed the conversations about taxis and livery services, and dramatically advanced their operations. The “Taxi of the Future,” use of smart phone applications and plans for the sale of medallions are all covered in the conversation.

David Yassky is the eleventh person to serve as Commissioner/Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. He was nominated by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on March 12, 2010 and his term will expire on January 31, 2017. Most recently, Yassky completed eight years of service in the New York City Council, representing the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission will quiz the city’s 500,000 riders each day on local taxi knowledge. Suggestions for more questions are also encouraged.

The city is offering another cure for cab riders suffering from backseat boredom: taxi trivia.

Sample questions include, “Which mayor is responsible for requiring all New York City taxis to be yellow?” and “What percentage of taxi drivers own their own medallion?” and “How much is a typical yellow taxi medallion worth?”

Riders also can suggest their own questions to the TLC.

“With 25 million viewers watching Jeopardy each week, people’s love of trivia is anything but trivial and so we thought passengers would enjoy testing their taxi savvy right there on the taxi TV screen,” TLC Chairman David Yassky said.

This isn’t the first time the TLC has used backseat technology to interact with riders, who take some 500,000 trips each day. Early this year, nearly 100,000 riders cast ballots in cabs in advance of the Academy Awards.

Among riders, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor as “Lincoln” and Jessica Chastain took Best Actress for her performance in “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Oh, here are your trivia answers. Mayor Lindsay is responsible for the color of the taxi fleet, 33% of drivers own their own medallions and the average medallion is worth $1.2 million.

Anyone with a suggested trivia question should email taxitrivia@tlc.nyc.gov or tweet #taxitrivia @nyctaxi.

pdonohue@nydailynews.com

Attorney General Announces Lawsuits Against Four Service Stations, Settlements With 25 More For Gouging Customers In Westchester, NYC And On Long Island After Storm

Schneiderman: We Will Continue To Protect New Yorkers From Gougers

As part of an ongoing probe of high gasoline prices in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that he is filing lawsuits against four service stations for violations of the New York State Price Gouging statute and has reached monetary settlements with 25 other service stations totaling $167,850.Investigations are pending against dozens of other gas stations.

The lawsuits, filed in Kings, Nassau and Suffolk County Supreme Courts accuse the stations of charging consumers unconscionably excessive prices in the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy last November.In the days after the storm, areas of New York saw some of the largest jumps in gas prices in state history.The settlements require that those gas stations pay penalties to the state.

“Six months ago this week, as New Yorkers were sitting in lines waiting for hours to buy critical supplies of gasoline, some shady business owners were trying to make a fast buck at their expense,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Today, we are sending a powerful message that ripping off New Yorkers during a time of crisis is against the law and we will do everything in our power to hold them accountable.”

Gasoline price jumps in the wake of the hurricaneresulted in hundreds of complaints received by Attorney General Schneiderman’s office and showed that prices were changing at the pump, not only overnight but several times a day.

New York State’s Price Gouging Law (General Business Law § 396-r) prohibits merchants from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services for an “unconscionably excessive price” during natural disasters. The price gouging law covers New York State vendors, retailers and suppliers. The law specifically says that a price may be considered excessive if there is a “gross disparity” between the prices charged immediately before and after the emergency and the disparity is not attributable to higher costs imposed upon the seller.

New York State Senator Brad Hoylmansaid, “It’s appalling that gasoline stations in the areas decimated by Superstorm Sandy were price-gouging their customers, many of whom were without heat or electricity. We cannot tolerate this outrageous business practice and I applaud Attorney General Schneiderman for taking the lead in holding the gas station owners accountable.”

New York State Assemblyman Brian Kavanaghsaid, “Swift justice in this case means that those who broke the law in our time of need will be held accountable. The people of New York deserve better than to be socked by price gougers in their time of greatest need.”

City Councilman Dan Garodnicksaid, “We New Yorkers applaud Attorney General Schneiderman for taking swift and decisive actions to go after gas station owners who ripped off New Yorkers in a time of great need. People in my district were swamped by Sandy and were desperate for aid. Help came from many corners, but was blatantly ignored by dozens of service station owners.”

David Yassky, the chairman of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, said, “The transportation provided by taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers  in the days before the MTA was back up and running was vital to our city’s recovery from Sandy, and to see some of these hardworking men and women fall victim to fuel gougers was unjust and frankly offensive.  I am grateful to the Attorney General and his staff for making sure that violators will be held accountable for their actions.”

Livery Base Owners Spokesperson Cira Angeles said, “Livery drivers provided essential services before and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In addition to the problems created by the gas shortage, our drivers suffered the abuse of some unscrupulous individuals that took advantage of this crisis to make an extra buck, making it more difficult for New Yorkers to get alternative transportation. We commend Attorney General Schneiderman for holding price gougers accountable and sending a strong message that natural disasters are no excuse to rip-off our fellow New Yorkers.”

(All prices are for regular gasoline. The spread is the difference between the wholesale price paid by the operator and the price charged at the pump.)

The four gas stations named in lawsuits today are:

Greenpoint Truck Stop, Inc/Sonomax, 278 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.98
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.85
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 88%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

AGIP Gas, LLC/USA Petroleum, 11 East Main Street, East Islip, NY 11730

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.07
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.45
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 35%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

Mena Inter Inc./USA Petroleum, 630 Main Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.04
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.80
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 73%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

The 900 N. Broadway, LLC/BP, 900 N. Broadway, Massapequa, NY 11758

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.78
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.18
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 51%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.29

Settlements have been reached with the following service stations:

In New York City:

Alliance Energy/Lukoil, 600 Pelham Parkway, Bronx, NY 10462

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.82
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.93
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 135%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $5.39

E-Z Station, Inc./Mobil, 40-40 Crescent Street, Long Island City, NY 11101

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.03
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $2.08
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 102%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.89

On Long Island:

SJM Petroleum/BP, 1009 State Rt. 109, Farmingdale, NY 11735

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.93
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.65
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 77%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

BP/Lightning Petroleum, 1007 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, NY 11787

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.92
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.54
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 67%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.48

BP/King of Sunrise, Inc., 700 W Sunrise Highway, Valley Stream, NY 11580

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.95
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.59
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 67%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

Broadway Auto Care, 351 Scranton Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.10
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.54
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 40%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.34

Citgo, 1090 Portion Road, Farmingville, NY 11738

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.93
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.44
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 55%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.29

United Technical Group Inc./ Sunoco, 900 Atlantic Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.77
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.13
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 46%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.19

Greenvale Oil Inc./BP, 724 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY 11003

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.82
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.23
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 50%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.20

Citgo, 1050 Udall Road, Bay Shore, NY 11706

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.05
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.63
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 55%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.49

East End Marketing, 2670 North Jerusalem Avenue, North Bellmore, NY 11710

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.07
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.52
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 42%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.31

East End Marketing Corp, 235 Merritts Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.08
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.53
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 41%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.32

Road Ready, 2786 North Jerusalem Road, North Bellmore, NY 11710

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.03
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.39
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 34%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.20

Greenvale Service Station, 120 Northen Boulevard, Greenvale, NY 11548

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.20
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.62
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 35%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.40

Setauket Food Mart/BP, 728 Rte 25A, East Setauket, NY 11733

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.95
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.45
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 52%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.39

BP, 1577 Merrick Road, Merrick, NY 11566

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.92
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.20
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 30%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.12

Virgin International/Coastal, 1575 Route 112, Port Jefferson, NY 11776

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.37
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.77
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 29%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

S&Z Best Inc/Citgo, 1338 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.09
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.38
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 27%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.12

3300 HT Corp, 3300 HempsteadTurnpike, Levittown, NY 11756

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.10
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.41
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 28%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.52

Al’s One Stop Auto/Shell, 516 Merrick Road, Rockville Center, New York 11570

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.83
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.08
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 30%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.05

Hill Enterprise, Inc/Citgo, 3818 Sunrise Highway, Seaford, New York 11783

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.20
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.78
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 48%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

267 East Main Street Realty Corp./Coastal, 267 East Main Street, Patchogue, New York 11772

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $.041
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $0.62
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 51%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.09

In Rockland County:

Citgo/ Enterprises, Inc., 162 E. Rte 59, Spring Valley, NY 10977

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $0.79
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.57
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 98%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.59

In Westchester County:

Shell/JB Auto Center Limited, 1069 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.11
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.55
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 40%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.48

Shell/City Limits, 143 Bronx River Road, Yonkers, NY 10704

• Difference between wholesale price and retail price prior to storm: $1.07
• Difference between wholesale price and retail price immediately following storm: $1.53
• Increase in wholesale/retail spread before-and-after the storm: 43%
• Retail price immediately following the storm: $4.47

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Nassau Regional Office Valerie Singleton, Assistant Attorney General Sandra Giorno-Tocco of the Westchester Regional Office, Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Westchester Regional Office Gary Brown, Assistant Attorney General Judith Malkin of the Syracuse Regional Office, Assistant Attorney General James Morrissey of the Buffalo Regional Office, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Eubank of the Brooklyn Regional Office, Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Brooklyn Regional Office Lois Booker-Williams, Assistant Attorney General Michael Danaher of the Binghamton Regional Office, under the overall supervision of Executive Deputy Attorney General for Regional Affairs Martin J. Mack. These cases were also handled by Assistant Attorneys General Mary Alestra and Melissa O’Neill of the Bureau of Consumer Frauds & Protection, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine, Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia, and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Karla G. Sanchez.

Photo: http://ow.ly/user/nyctaxi

http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-cracks-down-gas-stations-engaged-hurricane-sandy-price-gouging

Justice Helen E. Freedman

The measure adopted by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission in December would run for 12 months and exempt areas such as airports that have provisions for taxi lines. While all licensed city cab drivers would be eligible, their participation would be optional.

The Livery Roundtable, Black Car Assistance Corp. and several car-service firms sued the TLC in February, claiming the program violates city codes and may let drivers discriminate against racial minorities based on their names or locations, as well as the elderly, who are less likely to own smartphones.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Carole Huff in Manhattan last week dismissed the lawsuit and lifted her March 7 order blocking the program. Today, Associate Justice Helen E. Freedman of the Appellate Division, First Department, issued an emergency injunction blocking the program from going forward and ordered expedited review by a full panel of appeals court judges, Randy Mastro, an attorney for the livery cab companies with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, said in an e-mail.

Mastro said he expects the appeals court to hear arguments on the case this month.

‘Fundamentally Flawed’

“This faux ‘pilot program’ is so fundamentally flawed and illegal in so many respects that it had to be stopped,” Mastro said in an e-mail. “And now it once again has been.”

Kate O’Brien Ahlers, a spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department, said in an e-mail that she had no immediate comment on today’s ruling, which couldn’t be verified in court records right away.

South of Manhattan’s 59th Street, the smartphone program would be restricted to pickups within a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) range, according to Huff’s decision. Elsewhere in the city, the range would extend to 1 1/2 miles. Smartphone application providers would be subject to Taxi & Limousine Commission approval.

The commission today said it approved Hailo Network USA Inc. as the second participant in the program, joining Uber Technologies Inc.

The case is Black Car Assistance Corp. v. City of New York, 100327-2013, Supreme Court for the State of New York, County of New York (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in New York State Supreme Court at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net

YellowCabNYC.com, an online community founded in 2007 by New York City yellow cab drivers, is currently developing its own taxi e-hailing app to compete with companies like Uber and Square. It’s good timing—on Tuesday, a New York judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by several car service companies in an effort to shut down New York City’s year-long e-hail program enabling smartphone users to hail a cab electronically.

The 70s-era yellow cab “will soon be prowling the streets of the Big Apple,” according to YellowCabNYC.com’s Mark Jakubczak. “Pedestrians who are quick on the draw with their smartphone or digital camera can snap a picture of the vintage cab, tag the picture online and be entered in a drawing for $10 in taxi credit.”

Winners will be able to use that credit on the upcoming smartphone app, which YellowCabNYC.com is billing as “the first one designed specifically with the Big Apple in mind.”

The site’s e-hailing app will be free to cab drivers and offered at “a lower price point” than competitive apps, added Jakubczak, who is helping to develop the YellowCabNYC.com app.

“We’ve set out to develop a no-nonsense e-hailing app that’s not only the most cost-effective, but which is the only one specifically tailored to the needs of New Yorkers. Other e-hailing apps might ‘hail’ from urban locales such as San Francisco and even London, but the scale and dimension of the challenges New York City presents are utterly unique,” Jakubczak said.

“With our built-in network of drivers and fleet operators, we anticipate rapid circulation and acceptance of what should prove an indispensable tool, both for drivers who will download the app because it’s free, and for the riding public who will download the app because it’s both useful and efficient,” he said.

Meanwhile, Judge Carol Huff of New York’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the bulk of the petitioners in a lawsuit seeking to shut down New York’s e-hailing program had a clear conflict of interest in bringing the suit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others.

Judge Huff dismissed several of the claims made by the petitioners, including claims that the e-hail program compromised driver safety and would result in discriminatory pick-up practices by drivers contracted by users of the system.

The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved the e-hail system last December, greenlighting it as a pilot program for 12 months. The program lets smartphone users within the central business district of Manhattan south of 59th e-hail medallion taxis within a half mile. Users outside of that area can e-hail yellow cabs within 1.5 miles.

The commission also voted to allow for enhanced technology inside of cabs, which “will allow additional tech providers an opportunity to enter the market after the existing exclusive contracts expire” on Feb. 15, a TLC spokesman said when the pilot program was approved.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2418133,00.asp

A Manhattan judge dismissed a lawsuit over the “e-hail” program Tuesday and lifted an order that temporarily stopped it.

The city Taxi and Limousine Commission agreed in December to test the idea for a year.

Livery cab owners sued. They say the program would violate a law that prohibits cab drivers from refusing passengers without justifiable grounds.

The judge says the e-hail plan might actually combat discrimination in selecting passengers, since drivers won’t be able to see their fares when accepting them.

Taxi Commissioner David Yassky calls the decision a victory for riders’ choice.

A lawyer for the livery cab owners, Randy Mastro, terms it fundamentally wrong and says they’re considering an appeal.

By The Associated Press

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