NEW LAWS IN EFFECT FOR NYC TAXI DRIVERS
****
THE NEW YORK CITY
TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION
MUST BE REBUILT
****
THE NEW YORK CITY
TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION
MUST BE REBUILT
****
New York City TaxisTaxi drivers are no longer allowed to use any type of electronic device, cell phones, iPods, cameras and even hands-free devices, while driving their charges around the city.The new crackdown covers just about every kind of portable electronic device that you can think of. For months now, even hands-free cell phones have been banned for taxi, limo and van drivers. But the new rule extends the prohibition to Bluetooth devices, as well as PDA's in your hand, and electronic games.The penalties from the TLC are getting stiffer. There used to be a five-strike rule before your license was revoked. Now it's three violations within a 15-month period and you're walking if you're caught talking.The new TLC rule makes clear that the ban includes iPods and portable game systems as well. The only exception seems to be if you're making a true emergency 911 call, perhaps in pursuit of a reckless driver while in your taxi, for example. The stringent regulations also cover drivers of limos, black cars, commuter vans and paratransit vehicles as well. "The time has come to put an end to the abuse of distracted driving by taxicab and for-hire vehicle drivers," said TLC Chairman Matthew Daus in a statement.
Editors Extra: The Taxi and Limousine Commission is a useless agency that is full of hot air. They always come up with these rules with huge fanfare and media attention, then they do just about nothing to enforce. The no-cell phone rule has been in effect for quite a while now. In almost every single taxi I get into, the driver is on the phone. The drivers do not care, because they know enforcement is just about zero. Not every taxi driver breaks the laws, but the majority of them do. Living and working in Times Square I see what these drivers do to the tourists and the residents that live here. One law that they break the most besides being on the phone, is stopping when they see someone flagging a cab down. The driver asks where the passenger is going, to see if he wants the fare. This is illegal, and they do it all the time. On New Years Eve, I had at least 25 Taxis stop with their off duty lights on, and they asked me where I was going. When I told them this was against the law, they sped into the night, but not before I took out my camera and photographed their taxi numbers. I did not have the time to report them all, there was so many, but I reported a few. The TLC keeps making more and more laws for these drivers, but enforcement is almost non-existent. They make these announcements with huge media coverage, but they never do their job, which is to enforce the laws. The bosses at the TLC make it look like they are doing their jobs, but they are doing very little. I have filed so many complaints about taxi drivers sitting in front of my building and the Westin Hotel with their off duty lights on. I have seen the drivers slip the doorman at the Westin hotel many times money so he will direct a airport fair to them. If you walk over to one of these drivers, they will not take you anywhere except the airport. This is against the law, yet with so many complaints I have made, you would think the TLC would send a undercover investigator to catch these drivers. The Taxi And Limousine Commission needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up and Mayor Bloomberg needs to pick different people to run it. Even I could do a better job at this useless agency. Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg can give me a non-paying job for a few months, so I can teach this agency about enforcement. You can see the complete rules here. I urge all visitors to New York City to review and for that matter, the residents. I urge you to report all taxi drivers breaking the law, even if you are a visitor. Dial 311 or go to the TLC website and report the driver. Even if you are not from around here, the driver has to go to court. If you show up and the driver is found guilty, he will be fined or his licence taken away to drive a taxi. If you do not show up, he still has to take a day off from work to appear. The case will be thrown out, but you taught him a little lesson by dragging him to court and it will go on his record. Maybe losing a days pay, will teach the driver just a little.
Editors Extra: The Taxi and Limousine Commission is a useless agency that is full of hot air. They always come up with these rules with huge fanfare and media attention, then they do just about nothing to enforce. The no-cell phone rule has been in effect for quite a while now. In almost every single taxi I get into, the driver is on the phone. The drivers do not care, because they know enforcement is just about zero. Not every taxi driver breaks the laws, but the majority of them do. Living and working in Times Square I see what these drivers do to the tourists and the residents that live here. One law that they break the most besides being on the phone, is stopping when they see someone flagging a cab down. The driver asks where the passenger is going, to see if he wants the fare. This is illegal, and they do it all the time. On New Years Eve, I had at least 25 Taxis stop with their off duty lights on, and they asked me where I was going. When I told them this was against the law, they sped into the night, but not before I took out my camera and photographed their taxi numbers. I did not have the time to report them all, there was so many, but I reported a few. The TLC keeps making more and more laws for these drivers, but enforcement is almost non-existent. They make these announcements with huge media coverage, but they never do their job, which is to enforce the laws. The bosses at the TLC make it look like they are doing their jobs, but they are doing very little. I have filed so many complaints about taxi drivers sitting in front of my building and the Westin Hotel with their off duty lights on. I have seen the drivers slip the doorman at the Westin hotel many times money so he will direct a airport fair to them. If you walk over to one of these drivers, they will not take you anywhere except the airport. This is against the law, yet with so many complaints I have made, you would think the TLC would send a undercover investigator to catch these drivers. The Taxi And Limousine Commission needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up and Mayor Bloomberg needs to pick different people to run it. Even I could do a better job at this useless agency. Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg can give me a non-paying job for a few months, so I can teach this agency about enforcement. You can see the complete rules here. I urge all visitors to New York City to review and for that matter, the residents. I urge you to report all taxi drivers breaking the law, even if you are a visitor. Dial 311 or go to the TLC website and report the driver. Even if you are not from around here, the driver has to go to court. If you show up and the driver is found guilty, he will be fined or his licence taken away to drive a taxi. If you do not show up, he still has to take a day off from work to appear. The case will be thrown out, but you taught him a little lesson by dragging him to court and it will go on his record. Maybe losing a days pay, will teach the driver just a little.
Comments