Closing Bell: No Cabbies to Brooklyn
Last week we covered the four-year long plan to close Manhattan bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge during from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, from midnight to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and from midnight to 9 a.m Sundays. Looks like Brooklynian commenters were pretty peeved with how taxi drivers have been refusing to…
Last week we covered the four-year long plan to close Manhattan bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge during from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, from midnight to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and from midnight to 9 a.m Sundays. Looks like Brooklynian commenters were pretty peeved with how taxi drivers have been refusing to take Brooklyners home from Manhattan due to construction. “After 2 cabs refusing, a driver finally took us but was angry the whole time and explained that all cabs will start refusing. And then Saturday night around 2:30am, my boyfriend and I tried to get a cab home… 4 in a row refused us,” writes a poster. Another points out the Manhattan Bridge has lanes reversed when the Brooklyn Bridge is closed, so hopefully late night traffic problems will not be as bad as anticipated.
Photo by gimmeahug
I want to make sure Brownstoner readers know that Taxi and Limousine Commission rules REQUIRE taxi drivers to honor all requests for service within the five boroughs, no matter what the destination (yes, even from Manhatttan to Brooklyn!). In fact, TLC rules prohibit drivers from asking a passenger where s/he is going before the passenger gets into the car, so as to prevent refusals. Violation of these rules is punishable by a fine, and repeated violation is punishable by license suspension or revocation.
Yes, I do know that despite the rules, it is not uncommon for drivers to refuse service to Brooklyn. We have a small number of “secret shoppers†doing enforcement to prevent this. But the best way to change driver behavior is for passengers to report violations when they occur. If you are refused service to Brooklyn, PLEASE call 311 and report the incident. We will follow up by issuing a summons to the driver. If the driver contests the summons, there is a hearing in “taxi court†– but we permit passengers to testify at these hearings by telephone, so it needn’t be an inconvenience.
Thanks!
David Yassky
If you are wasted, they don’t have to take you….otherwise its a fine, suspension and a possible revocation.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/drivrules.pdf
here are all the rules and the fine schedule as well…
I’ve lived in downtown Brooklyn for almost 24 years and I can tell you that I’ve been refused or been told that the credit card machine doesn’t work and that I have to pay in cash (which is by the way illegal).
Once you report a cab driver to the TLC, they need to you send in a physical form to verify the statement you made over the phone. Then they call the cab driver in for a disciplinary hearing which could revoke their cab license for several months or have it taken away completely if they’ve already had infractions. In most cases they face a fine.
Heres what I do, I wait to get in and then tell them where – if they refuse at that point (it does happen) I tell them to take me to the nearest police precinct – they always go to Brooklyn after that.
If they drive like assholes and are angry the rest of the trip – no tip for you; if they are reasonable, I explain that I know it sucks but thats life, and I need to get home. And I give a nice tip (which I would do no matter)
If the cabbies pull the door lock/windows down ‘where you going’ I just say “downtown” or something vague like that, then follow the above.
Minard – cabbies wont generally drive to Sands Point or Scarsdale either….not sure I get your point.
EVERY TIME I get in a cab and say Brooklyn I go through about 3 before i find one that will go. I don’t stick my head in and ask- I sit in the cab and they say NO- I tell them I’ll call the TLC and that I’m taking down their name and number but they don’t care. If I happen to be in the city late enough that I have to take a cab it usually means I’m wasted and in no condition to call 311 let alone take down his information and the cabbies know this. But they will catch me on the wrong night at some point and that is when I will follow through with the complaint I’ll even record it on my cell phone for proof- but what will happen? will they get a fine? will they lose the right to drive a cab? This is a huge issue that has been going on forever.
drivers shouldn’t be cranky. Its the luck of the draw sometimes you get perfect fares all night. some nights its just terrible. That is the way it is. Those are the rules that they have accepted. I suspect if you complain, it will cost them much more taking you. A refusal to carry someone(other than a drunk) will get you a minimum of a $500 fine and a 3 days suspension I believe.
Most of the time the a/c works. Its a violation if it doesn’t. they just don’t want to turn it on because it uses somewhat more gas. Again whether its not working or merely their refusal its again another violation…this fine is less- $100.00 I believe.
If they get more complaints they risk getting their licenses revoked. It also takes them a minimum half a day at the TLC-although that has improved from when it was a day or two.
I am fairly sure you will see a reminder to the drivers from the TLC…but we shall see.
They’ve made their own bed vis-a-vis Brooklyn! There are PLENTY of people living here. There are PLENTY of people going to dinner and going to bars here…. The difference?! Yellow Cabs have refused to serve Brooklyn for soooo long that people don’t even bother with them here. And STILL, most of the cabs on busy streets like Smith etc are just aching to get back to Manhattan. I find it very hard to believe that cabbies couldn’t make money serving Brooklyn.
smeyer, thanks for the info. I’ve had this explained to me once before by a cabbie and it made me more sensitive to them when I’d have them take me back to Bklyn late at night where they were unlikely to get another fare going back to Manhattan, so I made sure to give a big tip. Too many riders feel like the cabbie should be happy/lucky to get their fare, and wont tip (as some comments above state) if the driver is so much as cranky.
The point is that the AC doesn’t actually work. And no… no AC = no tip. Otherwise, I tip pretty well.