The city is now offering a way for people to report taxi drivers who are driving erratically or using their cell phones. A 311 reporting system lets you report drivers of cabs that you’re riding in, or cabs that nearly knocked you over. Helen Rosenthal’s office says that the TLC has pledged to act when they get a complaint.
“The Taxi & Limousine Commission will issue summonses to reckless and unsafe drivers based on citizen reports of unsafe driving. If you see a cab or limo driver run a red light, fail to yield to pedestrians, talk on a phone while driving, or otherwise drive in a reckless or unsafe manner, you can report them via 311 or the nyc.gov website (here for yellow cabs and here for car services / limos). TLC lawyers will review your complaint and issue a summons if they find that the complaint is warranted. Photos/video helpful but not required.”
For the TLC to take action, the complainant must be willing to attend a hearing (scheduled at the complainant’s convenience) or testify over the phone.
“In order for action to be taken against a driver or company, you must attend a hearing in person or by telephone to provide testimony about the incident. If you do not attend a hearing, your report will be forwarded to the Taxi and Limousine Commission but no action will be taken against the driver or company.”
We’ll see if they’ll really pull bad drivers off the road or if this is window dressing.
This is great but nothing new. For years, I’ve occasionally reported taxis being driven dangerously, even before the 311 system was in place.
I agree, this is not new at all. You could always report taxis (and I have on occasion over the years). In fact the mere suggestion of calling 311 has made some drivers shape up….
Judging by a recent experience, I think TLC is serious about better policing cabbies. After 30 years of being infringed upon by taxis on a near-daily basis while cycling around the city, I filed my first complaint a couple of months ago after a cabbie at a stop sign nearly took out my wife and me and told me, “You have to listen to me” (which I took to mean cars at stop signs don’t need to defer to mere cyclists). I filed the complaint online, heard from a TLC lawyer, assured her I would appear in court if need be, and later was informed that the cabbie had pleaded guilty and paid an unspecified fine. Not a bad outcome. So it’s worth pursuing these.
Re: “Gerry”‘s “(…cars at stop signs don’t need to defer to mere cyclists)
As if “mere cyclists” EVER defer to RULES, including RED LIGHTS and even ONE WAY AVENUES !!!
Not just marginalized delivery guys (whose earnings depend on multiple deliveries each hour) but your ordinary everyday Yuppie-biker in fancy helmet (and don’cha just adore those silly little rear-view mirrors sticking out from the sides of their helmets?!?).
How many times have you nearly been creamed when, crossing WITH the light, you feel the breeze as some entitled moron whizzes past, totally unconcerned about lights or mere pedestrians!
These self-absorbed “Me First and Only Me” types will whine about city traffic, but they are more menacing than any taxi, which can be reported via its license.
MAYBE THAT’S THE ANSWER! MAKE BICYCLISTS WEAR AN EASILY VISIBLE LICENSE SO THAT THEY TOO CAN BE REPORTED FOR THEIR ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, WHICH IS WHAT DEFIANTLY IGNORING TRAFFIC SIGNALS REALLY IS.
As someone that was hit buy one of these bikers I completely understand what you are saying. His anger over a cab “nearly taking out his wife and him” does not really pull at my heart strings.
The majority of individuals riding bikes DO NOT OBEY any of the traffic laws and put pedestrians at risk everyday!
He hopefully remembers the incident when he blows to a red light which I could almost guarantee he does!
You really needed to get that off your chest, didn’t you? Nothing in your post has anything to do with the article or the previous poster’s comment, except that “Gerry” was endangered by a cab driver while riding a bike. Where do you see that he “wore a fancy helmet”, is “Yuppie-biker” has “silly mirror on his helmet” (and what’s wrong with that if it helps him spot reckless drivers?) and how does this relate to the fact that he and his wife were endangered by a reckless cab driver. But no, just because he dared to use a bicycle as mode of transportation, you get up on your pathetic soap box and berate him and other’s who use a bicycle. Maybe you should try it for a change. Might change your perspective. And in case you didn’t know: MOST cyclist also drive cars.
Re: “…berate him and other’s who use a bicycle….”
As “a matter of ‘fac'” (as Walt Kelly’s Pogo might have said) this was NOT intended to “berate” Gerry or anyone else who uses a bicycle COURTEOUSLY, SAFELY, RESPONSIBLY, AND WITH REGARD TO THE EXISTING RULES.
Rather, it was intended to call attention to the fact that there are way too many cyclists who do NOT fit the above parameters, and who are dangerously arrogant / rude / selfish.
It is those CHRONIC LAW-BREAKERS who will jeopardize the entire cycling community and possibly someday cause some publicity-seeking City Council Member to propose VISIBLE LICENSES, which, of course, will raise howls of protest from the cycling community.
Before that happens, perhaps Transportation Alternatives and other cycling advocates can do something to prevent Mr./Ms. Me-First from blowing through red lights, riding on sidewalks, riding against traffic, etc.
Oh, and by-the-way, it’s not “other’s” but “others”, as the apostrophe-s is the possessive case (as your English teachers probably tried to teach you).
How does one report a pedestrian who puts themselves in harm’s way and impedes the proper flow of traffic?
It’s window dressing. I made a complaint, uploaded pictures, then elected to testify by phone. I was told it was the cabbie’s word against mine, and he prevailed because he was present and I was on the phone. I was not allowed to hear what he said, let alone respond. I asked what about the pictures, the hearing officer said they could not locate these. I offered to e-mail them immediately, the officer said pictures were inadmissible because I was not present. No wonder all the cabbies are on cell phones, the testifying system is not honestly described by the TLC and is totally tilted in their favor.
I’d like to report a generous and responsible taxi driver who picked me up at my CPW address and delivered me to my daughter’s home in In wood, where i unloaded suitcases etc for a vacation trip we were taking together. I neglected to transfer 2 brand new beach umbrellas from the taxi to my daughter’s car; it was my carelessness and I thought no more of it. But when I got home a week later, the doorman presented me with the 2 umbrellas, saying that the cab driver had gone back to where he had picked me up and returned them to me. How’s that for niceness!
On Monday, 02/01/16@approximately 5:45pm, Mexicana Cab Service sent a taxi to pick me up from Hartsdale train station to take me to my job at Macys Cross County Mall. Arrived there by 6pm.
I asked the driver how much he charge and he said
25. and I said that cant be right because Mexicana charges that much to go to White Plains so I called the base and the dispatcher said 16. He said no.that is not right and he demanded 25. He called the base and he told me to call and this time I speak with the lady dispatcher who agreed with him so I adked if they had a credit card machine to take the payment and sheb said no. I asked the driver and he said no. I told him that I am a regular customer of Mexicana. I told him that I would have to get the cash out of the machine at work and he locked his doors and than he said leave your purse in the car and I said I will not and that I would call the police and he said go ahead and than he unlock the doors. I told him that I have to report in to my job and go to the teller in there so finally I wen inside and got permission to return to pay the cab. I told the driver that the teller machine was broke and that he
could take me to chase and he said that
is an extra charge. Chase is right next
to macys. He took me to chase and I requested that he take me back to my job. I paid him $22.00. This driver has made it bad for Mexicana co. and definitely bad for my business with the co.