Taxi Driver Online

Yellow Cab Taxi Fined For Using Old Cars

20th November 2009

PROVIDENCE – Yellow Cab Taxi Inc. has been slapped with the largest fine on a taxi company in state history for violations, including rolling back the odometers on its cabs to keep them on the roads beyond the legal limit.

The Cranston-based company agreed to pay a $100,000 fine as part of a settlement with the R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers after acknowledging that it had rolled back odometers, routinely picked up passengers outside its authorized territory; and often charged passengers illegal “flat rates” rather than rates based on a functioning taximeter.

In addition to the fine, the division also reduced from 12 to six the total number of taxis that Yellow Cab is authorized to operate in Providence, Cranston and at Warwick’s T.F. Green Airport. The company was placed on probation for five years.

“This constitutes the most egregious, habitual and willful act of non-compliance I’ve witnessed in my nearly 10 years with the division,” Associate Administrator Terrence Mercer said in a statement.

“The pattern of behavior served to significantly change the competitive landscape among Providence taxicab companies and the odometer rollbacks additionally had the potential to put fare-paying passengers at risk,” he added.

State rules bar taxi companies from using cars that have more than 200,000 miles on them or that are more than eight model years old, although they can get a one-year exemption.

Mercer said the successful investigation of Yellow Cab was “the result of new auditing procedures in place at the division that will help us uncover similar practices within the industry.”

Yellow Cab was incorporated in 1982 and is made up of four separate taxi companies that operate collectively: D&T Cab Inc., White Rock Cab Inc., Doris Cab Inc. and Bobby’s Cab Inc. Its president is Carol L. Allen of Johnston, according to state records.

Source; Providence Business News - pbn.com

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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200,000 mile limit! I hope there are not many LO's over here looking at this.

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Grandad,

This 200,000 miles or 8 years thing would be good for all PH over here

Why only PH?

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Grandad,

And Hackneys too . . . . . although if you pay £200 to this geezer, that a geezer that knows another geezer knows, you can have ALL THREE odometers / clocks on an E7 turned back to the same mileage.

The other two are behind the dashboard . . . . or at least that is what I am reliably informed, by the geezer, that a geezer that knows another geezer knows!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

well my previous vehicle clocked up 420000 miles in 6 years it would mean changing your vehicle at less than 3 years old ! now at £26000 or more for a wav that would make it very difficult to recover the cost of purchase and could you see drivers of TX's being able to buy a new one every 3 years and would there be any market for second hand or would 3 year old vehicles have to be scrapped ?

I just wanted to add some information you might not know. . .

The person responsible for initiating the rollbacks and ultimately profiting from this longer length of service, is the Taxi Co. owner . . . not a driver . . . he (the owner) leases his cabs to drivers . . . typically for a 12 hour shift.

Virtually none of US cabs are diesels, which typically have better life cycles. also none purpose built (i.e. like a checker cab). If there are no restrictions, on age, mileage etc., most cabs are old cop cars (Crown Victorias) with corresponding high speed use.

An example of what effect, this setup has on drivers, even though we are the sunshine state (here in florida) we have several nites a year below 40 degrees Farenheight. A high percentage of cabs do not have heat. . . .too expensive to replace the core when it goes bad . . .they just bypass it. I had to quit one cab company, to get heat . . . A/C is always checked in inspections . . . rarely heat . . . .just addin my two cents . . .seems fair to me

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"Overpaid, oversexed, and over here!"

(Bloody Hell! . . . did'nt anyone close the door behind them Yanks!! . . .bloody hell)

"Watson . . . WATSON! . . . come quickly!!! . . .and bring your REVOLVER!!!

The above should know he works in the States. Well said my yank friend.

Don't talk to me about heater cores on Lincolns!!! Nice and cheap to buy but it took me 2 days to strip the old one out and another 2 days to rebuild the car.

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Grandad,

Yank, why not have a look at the Skoda Superb diesels.
www.skoda.co.uk
click on superb then onto specifications then choose the 2 Lr 140 or 170 diesel options and see the spec and MPG
Then pop over the pond and order half a dozen, the economy savings would pay for them alone
All engines and gearboxes are VW

Can you order them in LHD over here? Of course there would be no VAT to add on but what would the shipping cost be from here to Yanksville?

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Grandad,

And AUTOMATIC well a DSG so you can imagine using a manual
They also have more rear leg room than the Grand canyon

Is there a reason for this e.g diesels being more expensive to buy

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

They still consider diesels to be slow and dirty, but due to modern technology diesels are more environmentally friendly than there petrol equivalents in 90% of cases even the greens admit this now
Would you buy and run a cab that only does 15 miles per gallon with a tail wind, or one that has the potential to do over 50 MPG