Taxi Driver Online

36,000 city cabbies overcharged passengers by $8.3M in widespread meter scam
While 35,558 hacks overcharged their passengers at least once, about 3,000 drivers were repeat offenders, switching their meters to the higher out-of-city rate more than 100 times each.

Originally Published:Friday, March 12th 2010, 4:44 PM
Updated: Saturday, March 13th 2010, 1:47 AM

There's fare - and there's unfair.

A city probe found nearly 36,000 New York cabbies overcharged passengers a staggering $8.3 million on 1.8 million trips, employing a scam as simple as pressing a button.

The illegal income came during a 26-month period reviewed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission using new electronic trip data from GPS technology - which taxi drivers fiercely resisted.

The investigation found that 35, 558 drivers - 75% of the city's 47,000 licensed medallion cabbies - clipped at least one passenger.

But 3,000 hacks were repeat offenders, blamed for switching their meters to a higher out-of-city rate on local trips more than 100 times each.

"It has probably happened to me," said rider Michel Panzeri of Battery Park. "And maybe I even tipped the guy, too."

At the start of each trip, cabbies manually select the appropriate fare rate by pushing a button on their meters. The rates cover trips within the city, trips to Newark and Kennedy Airports, and jaunts across the Nassau and Westchester borders.

The crooked cabbies clicked on the higher out-of-town rates before taking their fares for a ride, the TLC said.

Word of the probe came as Mayor Bloomberg tapped former City Councilman David Yassky as the new TLC Chairman. Yassky intends to focus on enforcement and anti-fraud safeguards, officials said.

Bhairavi Desai, head of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said the charges of rampant thievery defied logic. The new GPS technology and meters installed in every cab are the problem, not the solution, she said.

"This is a workforce that's known for returning diamonds and tens of thousands of dollars passengers leave behind," Desai said. "To be told the same workforce is ripping off passengers for four dollars and change each ride just doesn't match."

The Department of Investigation has taken over the probe, with criminal charges expected against some cabbies. Others will be fined or lose their licenses, but some will likely remain on the road.

"We can't fire 36,000 cabbies," one source said.

Officials hope to roll out a short-term fix in two or three weeks in which an alert will appear on the backseat monitor when a cabbie activates the out-of-town rate.

Source; NewYorkDailyNews.com

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Doc's Complaint Exposed $8M Taxi Swindle

His $2 overcharge set off the investigation


It could be the most valuable $2 in New York City.

A local anesthesiologist is credited with setting off the investigation that uncovered the shocking $8 million taxi scam.

On his early morning ride back home from NYU Medical Center last August, Dr. Mitchell Lee became suspicious when the usual $5 fare jumped up to $7. Because he would routinely take the same ride home, the fare never fluctuated.

But on this particular night, something was off.

“It was obvious when the meter was going fast," Lee told the New York Post. "I asked the driver why the meter was going faster than normal, if there was breakage."

Lee’s driver, Wasim Khalid Cheema, challenged him at first, but then told him to pay what he normally does.

Instead, Lee paid the full $7 fare with a credit card and filed a complaint online with the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The TLC investigation revealed that about three-fourths of all the city’s taxi drivers, more than 35,000 cabbies, had swindled riders out of $8.3 million.

Cheema himself cheated 574 riders in a single month, and made about $40,000 more than the average driver in six months. In order to raise the fares, he changed his meter from Rate 1 to Rate 4, the code used in Nassau and Westchester counties.

"New Yorkers are smarter than cabbies think," Lee said.

According to the Post, TLC chief Matthew Daus said that within the next week or so, the back seat screens of all taxis will immediately alert passengers if the rate has been suddenly changed, and they will have to push the screen to acknowledge the change or it will not go through.

The TLC is also working to reimburse as much of the overcharged money as possible.

Lee, who has a family member who drives a livery car, still sympathizes for cabdrivers.

He said, "Besides dentists and lawyers, cabbies have the hardest jobs because everyone hates them."

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-be ... 89092.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Can't trust the buggers no matter where in the world you go

New York City taxi scam smaller than first thought



NEW YORK -- Fewer New York City taxi drivers overcharged their passengers than previously believed because some were likely only fumbling the buttons on the meter for a moment after the trip was over, officials said Monday.

The commissioner said earlier this month that it had stumbled upon what appeared to be one of the largest taxi scams ever, in which some 35,558 drivers overcharged passengers within city limits by using a higher rate code designated for trips to the suburbs.

On one of the three models of meters used by New York City taxis, the button to activate the higher rate code is right next to the button the driver pushes to end the trip. Officials believe many drivers were likely reaching for the "end trip" button next to the one that activates the higher rate code.



Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/st ... z0izMUdKkP

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Calender / time controlled sealed meters.

Easy solution.

Out of town fares (or districts over there) can be charged as a seperate extra which will be shown seperate to the main fare.

Agree, but with 3 set fares day/night/ holidays

Why set fares when you charge what you like anyway?

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Only less CC not more

A number of LA's in England no longer set fares of any description for Hackney Carriages.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So who makes up the fares in those places then, or do they not use meters

The individual Hackney Owners, the LA refuses to set fares.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

But surely the council set the max that can be charged, or should

No they dont, and they dont have to.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

South Kesteven is one that doesn't set fares.

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Grandad,

To save time and space

1, why????
2, do they have meters???
3, how are the fares set
4, do the public know they could be riped off