New York City cabbies aren’t all out to take us for a ride.
Posing as a tourist and armed with a British accent, a Daily News reporter put a dozen cab drivers to the test, seeing if they were just after a quick buck or if they would offer a helping hand to a stranger in the city.
A dozen cabs were hailed on Eighth Ave., between 33rd and 34th Sts., and asked to go to Macy’s – just a block away on 34th and Seventh Ave. And half pointed out that hoofing it made more sense than getting a lift.
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Cheating taxi riders out of big bucks is way too E-Z.
Thousands of cabbies are ignoring their required E-ZPass tags, taking the snail’s-pace cash lanes at the city’s toll crossings — a ploy that jacks up riders’ fares by an estimated $750,000 a year.
Meanwhile, taxi officials have dropped the ball on enforcing the E-ZPass requirement — costing the city millions more in lost fines.
For 10 consecutive workdays, The Post observed an average of 56 cabs taking the cash lanes at the Queens-Midtown Tunnel between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
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Sky-high fines for speeding and a cop crackdown haven’t stopped New York cabbies from hitting the gas.
They regularly exceed city speed limits by as much as 20 miles per hour, The Post found.
One lead-footed hack was clocked doing 57 mph on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge Friday, a whopping 27 mph faster than the speed limit.
Another topped out at 51 mph on West Street and a third zoomed up First Avenue at 49 mph, flooring it as he headed for the tunnel leading to the United Nations complex.
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Hello! My name is David Yassky and I was recently nominated and confirmed as the 11th Commissioner and Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
I appreciate this opportunity to let you all know how proud I am to continue my career in public service as the head of an agency that is charged with the regulation of six industries that are truly indispensable parts of the city’s comprehensive transportation network – and the most unique ones, at that. Why unique? Because they are perceived by so many as being a form of mass transit. In other words, a privately-held and operated group of industries that are collectively perceived similarly to a governmentally-operated and subsidized transportation mode. While there are many reasons why the primary tasks of the TLC and its commissioner are complex, the aforementioned fact creeps up near the top of the list of these.
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An off-duty city police officer was arrested after being accused of punching a cabdriver in the face on the East Side, the police said.
The officer, Sidney Garcia, 42, was charged with third-degree assault on Friday evening, several hours after the driver of a yellow taxicab reported that he had been assaulted during an argument with five people late Thursday.
Officer Garcia was stripped of his gun and badge, and was suspended without pay for 30 days, as detectives from the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Police Department began an inquiry.
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Taxi drivers from across the city got an ear with the new Taxi and Limousine Commissioner, David Yassky, at an event hosted by WNYC this afternoon. The drivers took the opportunity to share their concerns about the TLC and their jobs. Many drivers shared driver John McDonagh’s concern about the 50 cent surcharge that went into effect six months ago, to help subsidized the financially strapped MTA.
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Here’s one cab you don’t wanna catch!
A yellow taxi burst into flames in Chelsea yesterday, snarling traffic and leaving its very lucky driver happy he got out alive.
Firefighters from Engine 26 and Ladder 24 rushed to Ninth Ave. and 25th St. at about 2:45 p.m. after the flames erupted.
The fire was extinguished soon after, officials said.
No one was injured, but the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Complaining about lousy taxi rides could soon be within arm’s reach of passengers.
New taxi chief David Yassky wants the touchscreens in the back of yellow cabs to allow riders to provide complaints or commendations on their trip — information similar to what someone would log by calling 311, he told The Post.
“We’re looking for people to provide feedback about their cab experience,” he said. “And possibly beyond that.”
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