Taxi and Limousine Commission inspectors are allowed to temporarily seize a vehicle of someone they suspect is giving illegal cab rides. According to a report by DNAinfo, they often do this without sufficient proof and don’t follow the proper procedures, sometimes stranding families and individuals without their cars for weeks.
In their mission to protect New Yorkers from “dangerous and uninsured illegal cabbies,” inspectors brought 7,187 cases to tribunal hearings between January 1, 2013 and June 13, 2014. Of those cases, 1,442 were dismissed.
Surveying the dismissals, DNAinfo has learned that inspectors ignored the facts of individual rides (like pick-ups outside of New York City), couldn’t recall specific details of the cases and changed their testimonies during hearings. Inspectors also failed to provide a translator when dealing with non-English speakers, among other procedural infractions.
A total of 176 cases were dismissed after the accused proved that “their passengers were family members, friends or neighbors.” (Photo: @futurehwyguy)
