10 worst cabbies in New York

"New York's 10 worst cabbies spit, curse, throw temper tantrums and sucker-punch female riders while raging on the road with less regard for the law than Grand Theft Auto gamers, according to the records of court hearings where hack licenses were yanked.

• Yet in most cases, it took years and an average of eight prior serious offenses before their licenses were revoked by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, disciplinary documents revealed.

One crazy cabby had a whopping 20 violations, including ripping off riders by smoothly switching $20 bills that fares handed him into singles....

• Gulzar Hussain, 52, has been repeatedly busted for overcharging, refusing to take passengers to their destinations, and driving around the city like Mad Max since he got a taxi license in 1991....

Since 2005, about 100 of the city's 47,283 cabbies and 50,000 livery-car drivers have lost their licenses each year, according to TLC stats.

• It is difficult to force the crazy cabbies off the road because charges are often tossed after riders fail to testify, a source said....

• In total, there were close to 4,000 "discourteous" complaints by riders in fiscal year 2009. The TLC said that represents a small number of the 230 million rides all cabbies provide."

A commenter notes the TLC requiring in-person testifying within certain hours pretty much guarantees violent and or criminal cab drivers will prevail:

• "03/21/2010 2:39 PM

You know why most riders fail to testify? Because the TLC REFUSES to hold hearings outside of the hours that 99% of people work. You have to testify from Monday to Friday between 9 and 5. Very few people are willing to ask their employer for the morning off to testify against a rogue cabbie. The reason why the TLC refuses to hold hearings at a time when people can attend, is because THEY DON'T WANT THOSE HEARINGS. They don't want to spend the time or the money in holding them, they don't want to cast the taxicab business in a bad light. If those hearings were held on the weekend, I would guess that literally THOUSANDS of cabbies would have their licenses revoked."

• from NY Post, "Hell on Wheels: New York's Ten Worst Cabbies", 3.21.10 by Stefanie Cohen and Reuven Blau, via MichaelSavage.com, image/photos from NY Post

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon