More than 500 gabby cabbies have been found guilty of yakking on cellphones and dangerously using other electronic devices in the past four months.
Since a law went into effect banning hacks from using all distracting electronic equipment, Taxi and Limousine Commission officials have doled out 1,797 summonses.
So far, 551 cabbies have been found guilty, 990 cases are scheduled to be heard, 28 are under appeal and 127 were dismissed.
The remaining cases have been adjourned to later dates.
The rules went into effect Jan. 29.
Many hacks said the restrictions prevent them from talking to their families in case of an emergency.
To use a cellphone or even a Bluetooth device while in the cab, the driver has to pull over into a legal parking spot.
Drivers are fined $200 for each conviction and get sent to a “refresher course” on the rules.
After a second infraction, the hack’s license will be suspended, and after the third strike, revoked, officials said.
Passengers can report gabby cabbies directly by calling 311, officials said. In order for the penalties to be imposed, the complaining passenger must participate in a hearing in person or by phone.
The new rules also apply to livery drivers, although they are allowed to briefly use a radio to talk to their dispatchers.
In order for penalties, complaining passenger must participate in a hearing in person or by phone, I hope that means live speaker phone. Not just a written up phone complaint taken over the phone.
Having said that, a cabbie has the right to have a cell phone in situ ready to use in case of emergency. That right cannot be taken away. That is my legal opinion. Everyone has a legal opinion, and a judge decides which legal opinion is best. However, the article seems to talk about cabbies who were “yakking” on their cell phones and passengers reported them for it. Nothing about emergencies.
I would like to know who and why the 127 were dismissed? Were any of these emergencies?
Should certain disabled or handicapped passengers be seated in front? Yes, if you want to kill them. As I understand it, the federal government has proscribed some front-seat use limitations. First, it said that no one under 10 years old should sit in front because of seat-belt height and air bag issues. One 10-year-old had driven his grandmother’s vehicle into a gravel mound, airbag went off and killed the boy.
However, some time ago, I believe the federal government updated the limitation to say no one under 12 years old should sit in the front seat, for the same reasons. Thus, an elderly frail lady 5′ tall or less soaking wet announces she must sit in the front because she has a bad heart!! Because the limitation is based on the size of the child, and the elderly frail lady is the same size as a child, and further a bad heart. We know an air bag expansion could kill such a rider, heart attack or instant death or suffocation!! As in the boy. Of course, taxis are not subject to such rules, however there is a moral component to the situation. DO THE RIGHT THING, SAVE YOUR RIDER’S LIFE. Suppose just a vehicle in traffic in front of you in some freak instance backs into your car and sets off the airbag. Or, to avoid a pedestrian running out, you dive to the right and hit a street sign, not to powerful, but off goes the airbag.
I don’t care. I have a heart condition and I have to sit in front. Yes, dearie, the regulators want you to sit in front. Their thinking is a little abstract!
Party of 3: Mother must sit up front, she might throw up, needs stop cab put window down. Ohhhh, Boy, yippeee, times we wonder why drive cab?
Nikolai, why CMT VTS hort life in Boston?
CMT VTS short life Boston so 2/3 whole fleet private owner driver medalie control, drives a cab. Some those year lease medalie own vehicle. Invest in own business, feed family, ignored, bypassed while kingpin fix with few garage owner tycoons to NOT legal force advert system to ownership business, by plenty $ cuts to few gar owner, beside cut credit charge, see through disguise of control machines to kingpin. CMT VTS & kingpin then say advert needed pay tech system too much money, but Bos law say only slider back seat, driver no touch, no more. Scam every way even tech price 4, 5 times high profit system need. No infinity advert need for slider back, process meter. More cement advert system, took all posted rate & book. Force advert system, took over whole say operation 1200 private drive cabs. Few tycoon garage owner rent 500 cab, 1/3 fleet. Sorry say, few owner garage rent cabs legal put in any tech kingpin says, and rent like that. But cabbies rent no legal force credit job, and no legal wait money few days, need $ feed family. All about advert $ big time. Cab owner help worker say kingpin say open hope all medalie own by garage few, no owner private driver. What say, put 1200 out business Advert take over? Now kingpin, 1200 MAD take special light keep driver safe show nothing stop advert, no even pile bodies. No legal make ownership business ADVERT or mak hi credit loss & wait. Good explain, Yuk?
Who owns those 127 st, Flushing, 138 St garages, what names? Punishing?
Driver Safety Tip 1 Do not take a knife to a gunfight. Old saying: if you don’t have a knife, you will not be killed by your own knife, if you don’t have a gun, you will not be killed by your own gun.
Driver Safety Tip 2 Outfox instead of fighting dangerous passenger. Chances are dangerous passenger is drunk on alcohol or alternative substance. Get suspected dangerous passenger out of the cab. Drive to area where PLENTY of cabs, pull over to side and say, I got an emergency at home, I have to let you out, I’m shutting the meter off. You don’t have to pay meter. The drunken head of the dangerous passenger suddenly turns to thoughts of free cab ride, takes precedence, sees all kinds of other cabs, and jumps out. Free ride for a minute dispaces dangerous passenger thoughts. Procedure has been used more than once to good effect. Bad: saw a cabbie kicking a passenger out of his cab, passenger clinging to the open door, at the same time cabbie screaming to collect $3.00 on the meter – this is ridiculous. GIVE UP THE FARE if you have any suspicion the passenger is dangerous.
Driver Safety Tip 3 How to tell passengers are dangerous: funny noises coming from back, movement, strange & wrong words & talking between the two, intermixed with silences (whispering to each other). Lock your front doors, and use Driver Safety Tip 2. Many behaviors of the passengers indicate danger. Follow your GUT FEELING.
Driver Safety Tip 4 Don’t expect any help from a police station. At 2-3 a.m., just a block or so from a police station, going up the street indicated by my passengers, they said stop right here, but it was only an industrial area no HOUSES or residences. I stopped, then they (2) said do you have change for $100 bill, one got out of the car, door open. I thought, then took the car off, door still open, and drove right to the police station, not caring what the passenger thought. I parked in front and began beeping my horn. NOTHING HAPPENED. I said to passenger, well you might as well kill me, because none of these **&&%%## are coming out. Then the passenger said the gas station will change my $100 bill. Nothing to lose gas station in sight, I drove to it and they changed it and I got paid. I said I’ll drive you back to your friend, and take you where you need to go. I did, and he did not want to go any further than this pitch black spot, and got out with his friend who was still stumbling around. I made the call, I did what I did. Was I in for robbery or violence? I’ll never know; it is an area known for it. Follow your GUT FEELING, and don’t expect any police to come out and help you at a police station.
I hate police, I turn on my trouble light on , no police followed me to ask what happen. becasue I had two gay guys doing blow job. than i pull over on 42nd street 8th ave on far right side. there were two policeman standing, I acknowledge them, they came close to my Taxi, look into my cab say holly shit. the police man asked gay guys what are you doing? they nothing. they police say to me go. I drive again. when i reach their stop, they run out of my cab didnot pay. and they told me dont ever do that.
there for i hate police
Mr. cabby, it is hard work for the police to arrest someone. Remember the Texas ruling, ok if two gays caught in act? Maybe the two police officers didn’t know if it was an arrestable offense, or they could tell them get out of cab. A dilemma for the police officers. However, if a cabbie even smells like he is doing something wrong, it is ticket city. Probably they were not going to pay anyway, probably drunk.
a2 Fed Ex. Also, I notice on the monthly lists of medallion transfers, besides the date, seller, and buyer missing, also the medallion number is missing. A list that does not tell much, or avoids telling much.
Last night for first time I clicked on Advertising on this website top. Is this new or I didn’t bother before? A surprise to find taxi top advertising solicitation here. It is the first time, too, I see prices advertisers pay for a month for 1 taxi top ad. A lot of money earned thru cabbie’s gas payments, driver gets nothing. Private owners could get a pittance in revenue for putting these taxi top ads on their cabs, but a lot of cab owners do not want the taxi top advertising because it sways the cab on the highway and in winds, and puts big holes in their roof tops. Black ice, ooooh, the triangular taxi tops are dangerous. But when it comes to greed and money, what is a little UNSAFE taxi top ad on the cab?
To Fed Ex. May 2010 medallion transfers. Selling part interest could show cab owner NOT making it. AGAIN, the the dates of transfer, names of who sold, who bought, and the medallion numbers, basically a public record, is LEFT OUT. It SEEMS, but only SEEMS, without information and perhaps by design, that the independent medallions have increased about $40,000 from $560,000 each. I see a number of part transfers, $300,000 each, someone taking in a partner, tends to give the idea one guy cannot make it.
Cabbies, – you must see this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVo2maA7h1E&feature=related