Taxi & Limousine Commission Consumer Relations

Well, we e. filed our issue with the TLC, (it’s late September now) and after a reference from a bike shop colleague consulted with a lawyer whose specialty is mishaps such as these (given NYC’s crowded streets, and some bad drivers, sadly. events like this are common. Still real glad Ric was not seriously hurt). The attorney asked for the insurance carrier for that particular cab company, and after some legwork (most of it ours) we were able to provide it. We will pursue this, reasonably. Ric’s bike is now kiboshed, the front wheel out of alignment, and probably should be replaced. No frivolous lawsuit needed, TLC — just act fairly: take care of whatever modest medical bills happened as a result of the accident — and pay for a new bike, and Ric’s back on the blacktop again.

This review is not for consumer relations but taxi drivers in general.
I honestly am fed up with the disgusting pervert drivers who stare at me through the rear view mirror or talk on the phone with their friends talking about my body parts.
I don’t understand why the TLC does not do anything about this, I feel unsafe in taxi’s overall as a woman it is uncomfortable experience.
Today license number 491 745, Ohendra Roy was so rude to us in the cab, he swore the entire time every time he hit a red light or was in traffic. Its rush hour of course it will be slow midtown. He told us 12 blocks away from the apt and in traffic that was moving to get out and walk the 12 blocks we would be better off. No I am in heels I don’t want to walk and traffic is moving after we said no we are staying in the car he didn’t stop at our location kept going and we had to yell to stop didn’t say one word to us and we jumped out of cab after paying. Why should I be in a cab to hear a driver say F this and F that every 3 minutes. How dare he tell us to get out and walk. If he doesn’t like traffic he shouldn’t be driving in NYC.
Uberx is not that far away from pricing then a cab, I have officially moved on from taking NYC cabs, they are dirty, the drivers are smelly and rude.
NYC your cabs and its drivers need a clean up I don’t see how you can be in business in 10 years with all these competing driving companies.

I had a bad experience with a taxi driver in NYC, and TLC took my complaint seriously. They called me to let me know they were investigating, and shortly after, they sent me an email to let me know it had been handled appropriately (the taxi driver plead guilty and was fined).
Often times, it feels like complaints go into a black hole. With TLC, I was really impressed with how it was handled.
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I go to NYC several times a year (sometimes several times in a month), and most of the time, the service is fine. I never really had any issues with taxi drivers taking the scenic route or over charging.
Well, in March, a driver tried to over charge me, while also demanding a tip. Of course, he didn’t get one. The drive was fine, and I would have likely given the driver a nice tip (I usually tip well), but I didn’t tip at all because he tried to charge me much more than what was on the meter.
After I paid him the fare, he honked his horn at me, so I turned around. He asked why I didn’t tip, and I told him it was because of his dishonesty. He wouldn’t let it go, so I simply told him the conversation was over and he would definitely not be tipped. He yelled some profanities at me as he drove away.
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When I got back to my hotel room minutes later, I went online on my phone, detailed the complaint to TLC, and forgot about the incident.
Shortly thereafter, TLC called me to better understand what happened. They let me know that they take complaints seriously, and really gave me confidence that my complaint would be addressed.
The TLC person asked me all sorts of details (was the driver on the phone, did he have his license showing, etc…). I didn’t realize this, but apparently taxi drivers are not allowed to be on their phones. Most of the time in NYC, taxi drivers seem to be on their cell phones, so it was news to me! I told TLC I don’t really care if the drivers are talking on their cell phones. The TLC handler told me that TLC cares. Awesome! Was really impressed with their handling of my case.
A NYC taxi driver is not allowed to request a tip, and they are certainly not supposed to overcharge you. A few weeks later, I received an email to let me know that the driver pleaded guilty to the charges and paid a fine.
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I really didn’t expect much when I filed my complaint. However, TLC took my complaint seriously, and they handled it very well.

These people are real idiots! They roll out this Green Taxi plan and then do not tell consumers where to find such a cab when they need one. I called 311 and my local city councilmember — Mathieu Eugene and both were clueless. The government and the cab companies are TOTALLY INCOMPETENT.

On Thanksgiving night, my father dropped his cell phone on the backseat of a taxi, which he realized 10 minutes after we reached our destination. We called TLC, but using the information on our receipt, they were unable to identify the taxi. We called our lost cell phone several times. Finally, the taxi driver answered and quickly returned the phone to us.
Fortunately, there is still (some) hope and goodness in the transportation services of New York.

As a native New Yorker, I’ve always travel by the notorious MTA subway but flagging a taxi occasionally pending on circumstances. The yellow Medallion taxi is a New York classic icon that is well known through time with numerous design changes to car manufacturers and models.
In absolute accord with a previous reviewer, which cab drivers who are on-​duty cannot refuse service to passengers. I highly recommend writing the driver’s identification number, license number, as well as obtaining a receipt. The initial rate is $ 3.00 pending the length of distance to determine the final fare. In typical New York fashion some drivers purposely take the long scenic route rather than the most direct way forward to pump the fare higher than its actual true monetary value. Nevertheless, some cab drivers will take the most direct route to passengers’ destination in a big rush going over the NYC 25 MPH speed limit on all streets where there is no posted speed limit signage that takes effect on November 7, 2014.
Information to file complaints for taxi drivers are accessible via NYC Taxi and Commission:

I love the TLC! They gave me comeuppance for a very, very bad cabdriver.
Last year, I had to go to the hospital due to an injury. When I left, it was rush hour, raining, I was sore, alone, had a bloody bandage on and had been given painkillers so that I couldn’t walk straight. I just needed a ride home. A cabbie picked me up right outside the emergency room. And when I told him to take me to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, he refused to drive. He said he had to get the cab back to Queens and wouldn’t go to Brooklyn. I said he shouldn’t have picked me up if he couldn’t handle the fare. We had a 15 minute standoff, during which I sat in the cab and told him it was illegal to refuse service, and he just stayed parked there and yelled at me that he wasn’t going to Brooklyn.
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In NYC, it is illegal for cabbies to refuse service if they’re on-​duty. That’s common knowledge (but not common enough). An OFF-​duty cabbie can question would-​be passengers about what direction they’re going before they get in the car and refuse service to anyone headed out of their way.
For cab drivers to be considered off-​duty, they have to:
— Have their off-​duty lights on.
— Sign out on their trip sheet. (Easily falsified.)
— Have the doors on their cab locked.
If they fail in any of these things, they are considered on-​duty and have the same obligations as any other on-​duty driver.
So, my driver had failed at least two of those: he didn’t have off duty lights on. He let me in the cab (doors weren’t locked).
I wrote down his info and called 311. They gave me the TLC website address to file a complaint. It took all of 10 minutes to do that. 3 or 4 weeks later, they mailed me a summons with a date to show up to the TLC office (40 Rector St). The court date took all of 40 minutes. I went into a small room with the commissioner, the bad cabbie, his lawyer and a court reporter, gave a sworn statement and left. Within the next 5 days, they mailed me something saying he’d been fined $ 250. (Refusal of Service + being «discourteous» which he got for yelling at me.)
That’s just desserts for cabbies who look for easy fares (like injured hospital patients) and then refuse service.
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Most of my cab experiences in NYC have been pretty good. And often, when you get one of those few bad apples who try to rack up extra miles driving you around in circles, just mentioning the Taxi & Limousine Commission from the backseat is enough to get them to behave. When that doesn’t work. please, PLEASE take them to task. It only takes a couple of hours and somewhere down the line, it may save a more vulnerable New Yorker from being abused.