9/24/2010
There are about 59 drivers in New York City who were charged for changing the setting of their taxi meter to show passengers that the trips within the city boroughs were already in the outskirts of the city. They do this in order to double the rate of the amount of charges.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission said that there are about 35,558 taxi drivers who have committed the said offense and over $8.3 million on fraudulent charges.
Often, these drivers would be overcharging tourists. In fact, Mr. Vance said that when the rates they for overcharging are summed up, it could total to $235,000.
This scheme of the drivers was caught when the TLC was investigating the higher rates charged by taxi drivers. It was during March that this was reported by one of the customers who complained about the driver. TLC then used GPS to investigate the said scheme.
Those people who are going to the airport, along with other tourists tend to be the main victims of these drivers who overcharge. However, with the new installed technology in every taxi, passengers will now be able to determine if the driver would be flipping the meter to reflect rural areas.
