GPS data as collected by TLC should have been beneficiary for the drivers, especially when they are the ones who actually are paying for GPS devices installed into NYC medallion cabs hence they must gain some benefits from this technology.
I was pretty sure or at least I was assuming we the drivers have few benefits with this technology, for example number of times when passenger complained about the fare price, I handed them their receipts and told to call 3-1-1 in order to place a complaint, by doing so I was assuming that GPS should have recorded the pick up time and address, route taken to destination and drop off timing and address and in case of him/her calling to file a complaint, TLC will look into that data.
Once I had an incident, I picked up a guy and girl from E 97th street, it was my first trip on Sunday evening and he told me to go to 116th street and St. Nicholas avenue. I took right onto E 97th street then followed by another right onto third avenue, upon reaching at E 116th street and 3rd avenue intersection he told me to stop there, I stopped the meter he paid by credit card, and ride was over fine, nothing happened. Next day my day partner started calling me about 11 a.m, I was asleep and I sleep like semi dead person kind of way, after many tries he called my home and have someone to wake me up. Finally when I spoke to him, he told me our meter has been locked and I have to call our management in order to unlock the meter, when I called the management I was told that I dropped off one passenger at 116th street and St.Nicholas ave on Sunday evening at 5:28 P.M and when the passenger was taking his stuff out from the trunk I drove off with his luggage inside and with open trunk, first I told her that I have Ford Escape, I really can't drive with my trunk open knowingly then I asked her time and day again, upon realizing incident happened just day before, I recalled the jobs and told her it never did happen and she asked me then why did the passenger call? "I don't know, what I know is I did not go to St. Nicholas Avenue yesterday, did you check my record from the GPS?" I asked her, when she checked the record I was right, our meter got unlocked. What I guess is happened the guy I dropped off on third avenue, after shopping took another cab to his destination, this incident might have happened but with another cab, not with me, but when that passenger pulled up the receipt he pulled the one I gave him earlier that day. This incident increased my faith in GPS and made me less worried of backseat bitting.
But this is not the case, GPS apparently records only pickup time/drop off time and relative addresses only, it means passenger can take you to the court and tell the judge that you have taken him to Manhattan, took two bridges from JFK to drop the passenger in Brooklyn, and you have to prove that it did not happen that way. Good luck fellow drivers.
If we talk about flawless rules or laws, in my opinion they must be dead ends, what I mean by this, if you steel you will be prosecuted regardless of circumstances, if you break red light you will be fined with additional points on your record etc, and flawed rules or laws are the one with wide open options, unfortunately TLC have many flawed rules, for example TLC rule states driver can refuse a fare if he has concerns about his safety or feels threaten, but it does not explain what conditions can qualify for safety risks and leaves it wide open unto driver's judgment and his intelligence, so basically driver has to profile people based upon their looks, neighborhoods they are heading to, way they dress or talk to driver, to decide if he should or should not take the fare. Based on his intelligence if he refuses the fare he then may has to face service refusal charge in TLC court, which is amongst one of the most serious charge against driver, and his license can be suspended upon proven guilty of the charge. So after some experience many drivers make their "in this situation do this, in that situation do that" kind of their own rules which varies from making sure at beginning of the ride if the subject has fare money to dropping subject in nearest busy street instead of his exact address.
Although I never have refused any person till date, but unfortunately I had to boot three people out of my cab last year. And yes I have made my own rule for that situation which is " No matter what I'll never service a person, who is abusive towards me, period." You are a street thug or president of united states, if you break my rule you will end up thrown out of my cab, no negotiations in this case.
So I had first incident of this year where unfortunately I had to tell the guy "get the fuck out" tonight. It was suppose to be a very short ride, I dropped one gentleman at LIRR Station and as expected in busy Saturday night spotted this indian guy hailing for cab on the spot.
After my fare got out of cab, he jumped into front passenger seat and three others occupied back seat of my cab, two back seaters were black male and one black female.
They were heading to Pasha, which is located on W 46th street between 11th and 12th Avenue, as I started heading towards their given destination, they started talking to each others. They were all doing their residency somewhere in New Jersey, they are future doctors, and were in town for party. One of their friend was stuck in Penn. Station at Newark and was not able to catch his train to join them. So far so good, I took W 33rd Street from 7th Avenue towards 10th avenue, upon approaching on 10th avenue we found ourselves in heavy traffic, so guy in front told me to turn on 34th street, from 34th street he wanted to go up 11th avenue and I told him this will take us to Lincoln tunnel and back onto 10th avenue again we better take 12th avenue as you are heading to W 46th street between 12th and 11th avenues, and street is east bound. But unfortunately we find ourselves in heavy traffic on 12th avenue again, I was trying to cut traffic in taxi driver's way, when he told me to take right on 40th street, I took right and after that he again wanted to turn left on 11th avenue, which was impossible as 11th avenue is one way street at that intersection, whole traffic mess around all streets was due to Lincoln tunnel's traffic and now we were sitting in midst of that traffic, cutting off other vehicles when I made it to 10th avenue, he told me to turn left again. At this point I asked him in pleasant way was he a cab driver? he replied in negative and then I asked him is he New Yorker? he replied in negative again, after that I told him he didn't have to tell me on every turn I know my route in this town, it was a notion to remind him that he can tell me once how he wanted to go and I'll take that route.
"I know where you coming from" he told me and continued " by telling me you know your route" he completed his first sentence and kept on "this is how you fucking make money by taking people into traffic, I know it" I looked towards him if he is joking? but he had I-am-the-boss-you-fucking-scumbag expressions on his face, which translated into hate. I pulled over and told him" چوتیے (Choot e yeh) it is too hard for your brain to think how a cab driver makes his money, you better get out of my cab right now" he paid and got out and three back seaters were looking strangely as they even did not know what have happened between front seaters. I drove off and knew it is almost impossible for them to hail another cab at this location and that was enough for him in rain.
But the question remains, what should driver do if passenger gets abusive or disrespectful towards him? most will say just finish your job and forget, but in all above situations when passenger got abusive or disrespectful towards me, I felt distracted, my head boils and I can't pay attention on driving which make me more vulnerable toward having an accident, I don't know what other drivers say but this is what I do and after booting them out of my cab a cigarette break is must to get over anger.
Although study suggests [PDF] lowest salary and excessive regulations are direct cause of bad drivers, but I always find more taxi cabs involved in accidents on busiest day, perhaps drivers might trying to beat the slow week in those nights.
These two drivers were trying to make their week in one night and crashed at central park south and 7th avenue intersection, on busy Friday night.
Here we go again New York, after successful campaign of No Pants Subway Ride now we have No Underwear Subway Ride, When are we going to have Fucking Subway Ride Or Orgasm Subway Ride? Perhaps a very good reason to take a cab so you won't have to confront psychopaths like that.
Three weeks ago hurricane-look-alike weather left potholes every where in NYC, some were real huge to call them pothole, this pothole stayed for more than a week on E 28th street in Murray Hill area between Park Avenue south and Lexington Avenue.
And these two girls were taking pictures of that pothole from every angle possible, one of them even stood inside of the hole.
I dropped off my last passenger in Roosevelt Island, which is small island between Manhattan and Queens. Although I been to Roosevelt Island many times but never had chance to go up northern part of Island, My fare lives in this building and I asked him specifically if this is residential building? because to me it looked like temple or church with lights on, "it is called The Octagon" my fare told me and asked "isn't it beautiful?" Yes indeed it is.
But the question remains, what should driver do if passenger gets abusive or disrespectful towards him? most will say just finish your job and forget, but in all above situations when passenger got abusive or disrespectful towards me, I felt distracted, my head boils and I can't pay attention on driving which make me more vulnerable toward having an accident, I don't know what other drivers say but this is what I do and after booting them out of my cab a cigarette break is must to get over anger.
