In a small bit of karmic justice, two cab drivers were disciplined by the Taxi and Limousine Commission for refusing/being whiny about driving the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico from Greenwich Village to her hotel in the Bronx last month, the New York Times reports.
The first driver, who drove away when Carmen Yulin Cruz told him where they were going, was fined $200. That driver, Jose A. Guerrero, had been driving for decades and had no prior offenses, according to the Times.
But the second driver, who took them but complained about having to drive all the way to the Bronx the whole way there, had his license revoked and was fined $1,450. Mohamed Mansouri had four prior complaints on his record, including refusal and overcharging. You know what they say: five strikes, you’re out, especially if the fifth strike is against the City Council speaker’s friend. Mansouri was found guilty by default when he failed to show up for his hearing. Frankly, he doesn’t sound like he was cut out to be a taxi driver. It’s illegal to for cabbies to refuse a fare because they don’t feel like driving to the destination, and against TLC regulations to be rude.
We are willing, however, to entertain the possibility that the drivers are both clairvoyant and highly principled, and refused to take expense-account money from Puerto Rican politicians that should go toward settling the territory’s $70 billion debt.
(Photo: Tristan Legros)
