Due to a licensing loophole in fine regulations, the Taxi & Limousine Commission has failed to collect on over $11 million in driver fines from the past six years. Of the $23.2 million in issued summonses since 2004, the TLC has collected just $11.9 million, and officials told the Post at least $5.75 million is owed by unlicensed drivers. However, the TLC doesn't have the authority to pursue payment once a driver turns in or loses their license. more ›

This Sunday, a 50-cent surcharge will be added to taxi fares, as part of the state's MTA bailout which was approved earlier this year. This surcharge is in addition to the existing surcharges, such as the rush-hour surcharge (Monday-Friday) of $1 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and the night surcharge between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. more ›

Hayashi Ya, a Japanese restaurant on the Upper West Side, charges $26.95 for their all-you-can-eat menu, but if you don't eat every last bite, they slap on a 3% charge. This raised eyebrows at WCBS, and reporter Kristin Cole trooped over there to measure the outrage. Only everybody seems pretty okay with it; diners insist it "helps with their waistlines," and the manager says it helps "with the restaurant's bottom line." Er, anyway, compared to the penalties at other restaurants—like that place in The Great Outdoors that was going to charge John Candy the full price of a 96-ounce steak if didn't eat all the gristle and fat—3% of $26.95 seems reasonable. Plus, according to WCBS, one in six Americans can't afford enough food, while an estimated 27 percent of all food in the country ends up in the trash. To get involved locally, here are links to the Food Bank For New York and City Harvest. more ›

15 city council members (including the ubiquitous John Liu) have thrown their support behind a temporary $1 taxi surcharge. But the Taxi and Limousine Commission and the mayor continue to reject the proposal, with Bloomberg pointing to hybrid taxis as the best solution to skyrocketing gas prices. At a rally yesterday, taxi driver Parvinder Singh told NY1: "This gas price is just killing us – all the drivers and all the 5 percent we're paying to all the brokers, and the companies. And this fuel surcharge we definitely need now. We have it in 30 cities in the U.S. Why not us?" more ›

In 2004 – the year taxi fares increased 26%, President Bush got re-elected, and Janet Jackson’s nip slipped – the average price of gas in the city was $1.80 a gallon. It now costs around $4.45 a gallon, with no signs of diminishing, and there is increased clamor from cabbies for the city to institute a surcharge of $1 per ride. But Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman Matthew Daus yesterday declared that "under no circumstance" would the TLC implement a surcharge. more ›

A New York State Assemblyman ticked off about congestion pricing for suburban drivers is retaliating by proposing a $4-per-ride surcharge for taxi riders, rather than the congestion fee of $8 for motorists entering Manhattan below 60th St. That taxis are another form of mass transit that allow New Yorkers to get around without owning a car escapes Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, whose district includes parts of Westchester County. more ›

There are worries that a proposed $50,000 surcharge on all MD's in the state could do irreparable harm to New York's health care community. The state's medical malpractice liability fund is underfunded, and state insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo is looking for ideas. more ›