P.M. BRIEFING : N.Y. Hacks Take Tourists for Ride
A tourist arriving at Kennedy International Airport has a 66% chance of being overcharged for a cab ride into Manhattan, an undercover investigation by the Taxi and Limousine Commission found.
A dozen inspectors posed as tourists arriving at the airport on evening flights March 6-10 and took cabs to a hotel in lower Manhattan. In eight cases, the commission said, the drivers took a circuitous route that raised the usual fare of $29 to as much as $40.75.
The weeklong probe yielded 445 summonses for traffic violations, fare refusals and overcharges. Eleven hack licenses, two meters and two taxi medallions were confiscated and one driver was arrested for obstructing justice and assaulting an officer.
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