On the heels of State Sen. Eric Adams's and TWU Local 100's push for MTA workers to be able to stun disorderly passengers at will, a major livery cab company is now seeking approval for their drivers to carry guns while on duty. more ›

CBS News legend Mike Wallace died yesterday and will be remembered for his hard-hitting interviews throughout the decades on 60 Minutes. But some New Yorkers may also remember him as a man who simply wanted to protect his meatloaf and was victimized by the authorities in the process: In 2004, he was taken to the 19th Precinct after getting into an argument with two Taxi and Limousine Commission inspectors over a double-parked car. more ›

Sure, taxi drivers now have the option of getting a $51,000 Mercedes Benz yellow cab, but one Cadillac Escalade wasn't quite a legitimate, Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed vehicle. According to the Post, a TLC agent trying to bust drivers who aren't licensed as taxi or livery drivers was picked up by a driver of that luxury SUV in Midtown: "He got in and told the driver he'd get a summons." Only, instead of just accepting the summons, the driver decided to drive off...with the agent in the car. more ›

One of the cabbies charged with over-charging his fares is settling in for a fight. Since the TLC didn't seem interested in his claims of a cabal of cabbies plotting to scam their passengers ("I met a series of drivers who decided to rob the public," he told them in September. "They were actually having meetings at my old garage."), Joseph Kastner is planning to fight the charges in court. more ›

After months of intense speculation and bitter in-fighting a vote was momentarily postponed due to truant Taxi and Limousine Commission members, we weren't sure when or if we'd ever get to have classy looking cab drivers in the city. But finally, the TLC had its vote today, and approved the new taxi dress rule, which requires drivers to maintain "a professional appearance." But besides long-standing rules prohibiting underwear-worn-as-outerwear, tank tops and swimsuits, the new dress code is mostly nebulous. "There will be no fashion police," said TLC Commissioner David Yassky. Drivers are expected to maintain a neat and clean appearance, which really is in their best interest: after all, every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man. more ›

We've had our eyes locked to the news ticker today, waiting to hear the result of the highly-anticipated cabby dress code vote. Don't Ask, Don't Tell may or may not be repealed, but doggone it, we will have classy looking cab drivers in this city! Unfortunately, not enough voting members of the Taxi and Limousine Commission turned up for the vote today, so it's now been postponed until January. But on the plus side, this gives us all more time to start a serious letter-writing campaign; just as Jericho fans sent in nuts to fight for that TV show to stay on air, we suggest you send in cufflinks to the TLC, because that's the sort of class we must aim for. more ›

Have you ever fantasized about having your own chauffeur? Perhaps a short man in a suit and black cap who opens doors for you, and amuses you with tales of bad clients past? Well now you may get a little itsy bit closer to that fantasy: the Taxi and Limousine Commission have announced that they plan to issue a new dress code for taxi drivers, requiring them to "present a professional appearance." more ›

In March, the Taxi and Limousine Commission unveiled its pilot program to encourage New Yorkers to share taxis to common destinations. At East 72nd Street and Third Avenue, West 73rd Street and Columbus Avenue and 57th Street and Eighth Avenue, people could share a taxi to Grand Central for just $3 or $4 each, although they can get out along the way . Now the TLC has put the brakes on those locations, with Commissioner David Yassky explaining, "They simply haven't worked. The reality is they're not functioning as group-ride stands." more ›

It's not quite the UniCab, but it's close. According to the Daily News, two manufacturers are at the top of the competition to design the city's new fleet: Nissan and Turkish company Karsan. And while Nissan could have us riding in "vanettes," Karsan exec Jean Nahu bragged to the Post, "We have produced the only model that fully conforms to the requirements set forth by the mayor." more ›

Besides trying to get the public excited about this whole cab share thing, the Taxi and Limousine Commission is investigating claims that hotel doormen are making taxi drivers give them tips for the privilege of taking hotel guests to the airport. According to the Post, some doormen ask for up to $15, "It’s a way for doormen to double their tips, as the tourist they’re hailing a cab for will also toss them some green." more ›

The Taxi and Limousine Commission is pressing ahead with more locations for shared taxi rides. According to the Wall Street Journal, next up are the Port Authority Bus Terminal—passengers would be able to head from there to 59th Street and 6th Avenue for $3—and either LaGuardia or JFK Airports to a to-be-determined Midtown destination. These would be the first locations from facilities were there are actually taxi stands. more ›

Between the recent assaults, fallout from the taxi scandal, and the tendency for their meetings to devolve into a series of kooky death threats, no one would blame you for not wanting to listen to more cabbies griping. But that's why we have WNYC! more ›

Those annoying TV screens that you scramble to turn off every time you get into the back of a cab may be your new conduit of complaints! Former city councilman and new TLC head David Yassky wants to make complaining about (or complimenting) your cab ride even easier by utilizing the touchscreens. Yassky said he wants riders to be able to use the screens to alert the TLC the same way people use 311. He told the Post, "We're looking for people to provide feedback about their cab experience, and possibly beyond that." more ›

Since the Great Taxi Scandal broke earlier this year, it turns out that the Taxi and Limousine Commission initially overestimated how many cabbies were involved with the scam; many drivers have been demanding an apology for their vilification. But judging by the 12,304 complaints filed in the past three years, it seems that riders deserve the bigger apology still. more ›

New TLC chairman David Yassky has a lot on his plate, but one thing he says he's committing to is making sure yellow cabs have an equal presence all around the city—not just Manhattan. The former City Councilman told CityRoom, "Having represented for eight years a district in Brooklyn, I know many residents in the city, particularly outside the core business district of Manhattan and nearby neighborhoods, feel yellow cab service is concentrated there. In fact, it is.” A recent study shined light on taxi trips, showing that Penn Station is the most popular place to catch a cab, Wednesday has the highest taxi traffic, and the biggest pickup spot on the weekends is the Meatpacking District. So for those of you who complained the map only showed Manhattan, you're right! more ›

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has been feeling the heat these past weeks, after the revelation of widespread overcharging of passengers, costing NYers $8.3 million in total. The fact that 75 percent of taxi drivers are said to have overcharged at least once was one of the topics of discussion at last week's TLC monthly meeting, the last for departing head Matthew W. Daus. more ›

After it was revealed that the majority of taxi cab drivers had overcharged passengers, the Taxi and Limousine Commission hoped to issue refunds to those who had paid by credit card. But now Mayor Bloomberg says they shouldn't hold their breath. He said on the John Gambling radio show, "You’re talking about eight bucks for a ride instead of five bucks for a ride, and how are you going to go and ever get the monies and get them back to the people?" more ›

Last week, the Taxi and Limousine Commission revealed that the majority of cabdrivers had overcharged passengers at least once, by using a rate twice the usual NYC rate, resulting in over $8 million in overcharges. Now it turns out that the TLC's investigation was partly prompted by a doctor who was suspicious of his fare last August. Dr. Mitchell Lee tells the Post, "New Yorkers are smarter than cabbies think. In these down times, everyone is watching the meter. Even the tourists are careful about their money and they're watching, too." more ›

After news that 75% of cabbies had overcharged passengers at least once, some drivers are worried: Osman Chowdhury, who returned $500,000 of diamond rings left in a bag back to a passenger, told the Daily News. "I feel very ashamed [of cheating drivers], When you're driving, people now look at you and think you're going to do something bad. The bad thing becomes the issue, and then the good things drivers do are forgotten." more ›

The Taxi and Limousine Commission says that about 36,000 cab drivers gouged passengers on their trips, resulting in millions of excessive fares. The NY Times reports, "The drivers’ scheme, the commission said, involved 1.8 million rides and cost passengers an average of $4 to $5 extra per trip. The drivers, officials said, flipped switches on their meters that kicked in the higher rates, costing New York City riders a total of $8.3 million." more ›

Yesterday, the Taxi & Limousine Commission's cab sharing program was launched at three Manhattan locations. And the day one results: Six shared rides. A NY Times reporter offered to share a taxi with one woman waiting on the Upper East Side; the woman reasoned, "People are hesitant, and don’t want to share." more ›

Since last week's planned launch of the taxi share experiment was marred by the snow, the Taxi and Limousine Commission said that pilot would begin today. But when we stopped by the stand on the Upper West Side, we only saw a tiny sign indicating that there was a taxi share stand, a TLC vehicle, three members of the press, and van parked where taxis would presumably pull up—no taxis, no would-be passengers. Sad trombone. 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 ›

On August 14, a cab driver struck and killed 8-year-old Axel Pablo who was crossing 112th Street near Lexington Avenue. While some witnesses said the driver was speeding and talking on his cellphone, police investigators reportedly found no evidence of Shaiful Alam being on his phone and did not charge him. Now it turns out that Alam has "an astounding 11 points on his license from July 2007 to July 2008," according to the Post, which adds, "Under state law, a driver with 11 points or more in an 18-month period gets an automatic license suspension. State officials could not immediately determine why that did not happen to Alam." more ›

As he sues the city to get his livery cab license back, Angel Bautista tells the Daily News that allegations he was masturbating during a 2008 cab ride are untrue. The News runs down the details: Apparently, a female fare—picked up in Brooklyn but ended up sitting in the front seat because Bautista picked up two other passengers from Queens—was suspicious enough to confront him, "You're not doing what I think you're doing," causing Bautista to reply, "Oh come on, I wouldn't do that. I can't be doing that. How can I do that and I'm driving a car?" He also explained his coat was in his lap "because it's winter time" and that he had tissues close by due to seasonal allergies. But by the time the female fare was taken to her Manhattan destination, she contacted the TLC and accused him of bad driving—"jerking" and "drifting off to the other side." Bautista suggested to the News that this was the result of absent-mindedness after a bathroom break, "I was in a big rush and I didn't realize my zipper was down," adding, "I want my license back." Still, according to the administrate law judge who revoked Bautista's license, four other drivers have been fired over similar behavior. Ugh. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has announced a plan that will require better fuel efficiency for city's TLC-run black cars; the change is part of the broader PlaNYC initiative and follows in the tread marks of the new hybrid yellow cabs. more ›