Taxi driver violent behavior on the rise in NYC

August 11, 2010

BatteryPark.TV previously reported on the rising rate of violent behavior among New York City taxi drivers. A TLC official had confirmed in April, 2010, that TLC internal databases had an increase in passenger complaints and that budget cutbacks had caused slower responses by the TLC to complaints. The taxi driver community is now aware that misconduct is being prosecuted less swiftly, according to one driver interviewed.

A case example of this problem involved a violent yellow cab driver that assaulted a passenger in Battery Park City back in July of 2009 (see video below). The incident involved a person related to BatteryPark.TV. A complaint letter was sent to the TLC and received no reply. Two more letters were sent with no reply. A telephone call to TLC administrators finally elicited a response and a hearing was scheduled approximately one year after the incident.

Last month, during the TLC hearing, the administrative lawyer dismissed the case based on a technicality without commenting on the merits of the complaint against the driver. An appeal was sent to the Deputy Commissioner of the TLC, Pansy Mullings. Ms. Mullings informed BatteryPark.TV that the TLC refused to open the case on appeal. The taxi driver is now currently still operating a vehicle and has no reprimand on his record despite video evidence of the assault and numerous other infractions made by the driver.

If you have had any similar problems with taxi drivers and have received slow or no response from the TLC, you can contact:

Pansy Mullings

Deputy Commissioner

Taxi and Limousine Commission

2455 BQE West

Woodside, NY 113377

April 23, 2010

If you seem to have noticed more whackjob taxi drivers in NYC behaving outright violently toward you, you are correct. BP.TV spoke with a representative of the TLC who confirmed that the statistics from their complaint database support the notion that violent behavior is on the rise since the TLC instituted the credit card payment option.

Cab drivers have to give a small percentage of fairs paid by credit cards to the credit card company. Offsetting this is the fact that many more business travelers will be inclined to take a yellow cab and use their company card rather than take a town car. Nevertheless, to this day, many cab drivers try to play games with customers at the end of a trip, such as not triggering the meter to stop, asking for cash, or by pretending that their meter is broken and cannot accept credit cars. Many of these drivers then become hostile or physically violent with the passengers.

BP.TV has obtained this video of a cab driver becoming violent to a passenger.

The deadly crossing

Construction on Route 9A, also known as The West Side Highway, and closure of the pedestrian bridge south of Albany Street have created a very dangerous situation. The ground-level crossing of The West Side Highway at Albany Street can be a death trap.

In February of 2009, Battery Park City resident Marilyn Feng was killed and her boyfriend seriously injured when a drunk driver struck the couple. Ms. Feng was an intern in Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer’s office. In late September of 2009, another pedestrian was struck by a motorist, but he survived.

Funding for the permanent pedestrian overpass has been cancelled. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer discusses the problem.