Sneaky cabbies' $8M meter rip-off went on for years

New York Post ^ | March 13, 2010 | David Seifman

[myknowledge]

In a mind-boggling ripoff that went undetected for years, thousands of city cabbies overcharged nearly 2 million passengers by at least $8.3 million, according to a shocking disclosure yesterday by the Taxi & Limousine Commission.

Officials said 35,558 of the city's 48,300 taxi drivers -- or three-quarters of all the licensees -- were caught overcharging at least once by secretly changing the meter's rate setting.

A staggering 3,000 drivers swindled passengers more than 100 times each. A total of 1.9 million trips were overpriced.

The scale of the thievery over the last 26 months was flabbergasting even to hardened veterans of what is supposed to be a tightly regulated industry.

[jwparkerjr]

Don't you have to wonder just how many ways we are fleeced in our day to day lives? I expect that if we had an alarm that would go off anytime we're being duped online or in a transaction we would be startled at how often it sounds.

I have a bad habit of not counting change I get back. I just stuff it in my pocket and off I go. Part of that I think is my natural tendency to avoid conflict. What if it's not the right amount and the cashier gave me too little? Guess I just need to take a couple of classes in being assertive. But then I would have to take classes in self defense. Never mind.

[dennisw]

Most of those drivers are Muslims and most from Pakistan Afghanistan. In NYC few taxi drivers are American born. Maybe 10-20%

Lots of Indian do view the Casinos as revenge on the white man. I don’t patronize them

[homegroan]

I don’t go to casinos either as a rule and when I lived in NYC, I either walked or took the subway.

All it took was one taxi ride where the guy didn’t speak English and when he took me to the wrong address, he started yelling at ME! I don’t know what he was saying, but he was pretty hot under his turban.

And I have never gambled, but I did go to the casino once to see a show. And the casino was packed with people just throwing their money away...it was sad really.

[dragnet2]

So much fraud in the ground transportation industry, including taxi’s, airport shuttle vans, sedan cars, etc, that it would make most people recoil in utter disgust.

[dennisw]

Where I am the Indian casinos are paying zero taxes. They are in negotiations to offer to pay a pittance in taxes if the state agrees to let them have some very lucrative casino games. Them only and no one else

The race tracks here have slots and poker and are taxed up the wazoo. This is why I will never spend a dime w the Indians. They can take their bllsht sovereign nation crap and drop dead

The Indian casino has smoke eaters that clean up most of the cigarette smoke but there is always the lingering odor of dead disgusting cigarettes. The casino/slots at the racetrack is smoke free. I went to the Indian casino for the buffet a few times two years ago and I’m finished w them

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/mar/11/panel-hears-what-it-will-take-bring-gambling-reven/

[Dacus943]

"Maybe I'm just hardened and cynical in my old age, but over-charging 2 million passengers to the tune of $8.3 million over the course of several years hardly sounds like a major scandal to me."

Death of a Thousand Cuts, given to those just hardened and cynical at any age!