I understand cabbies cherry picking their passengers when they're at the end of their shifts, but there is no reason to deny anyone a ride otherwise. Talk about discriminating against those who live in the "outer boroughs."

As for those who called in and said they were discriminated against because of their race, that is just appalling...in this day and age?

If a yellow taxi driver sped off after you announced your destination, you're not alone. The Taxi and Limousine Commission paid college students to pose as passengers looking to go from Manhattan to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and upper Manhattan, and they were turned away 27% of the time.

The students, who were paid $10 an hour, hailed 1,330 cabs and 361 said no. The drivers were fined $500, and could face a $1,000 fine for a second offense within two years. A third violation and their license would be revoked. Taxi drivers typically don't want to make longer trips to neighborhoods outside Manhattan because they lose money when they can't find a fare on the return trip.

Have you been denied a ride by a yellow taxi driver because of where you wanted to go? Is the $500 fine too much, too little or just right? Have you noticed more cabs cruising with off-duty lights on in recent months?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

The only way I can get home to the south Bronx is by telling the drivers to take me to "138th and 3rd ave." Most don't know they're leaving manhattan until they get to the bridge! Brooklyn is almost as hard. They usually start saying their credit card machine doesn't work--I bet it worked two minutes ago!

Daniel

Yes, I have noticed all of these things; the fines would be perfect. Furthermore yesterday watched an off-duty taxi take a passenger during the evening rush hour, when it is nearly impossible to catch a cab. Taxis discriminate and only want to stay in Midtown Manhattan East or West.

Sharon
Harlem

REFUSE A PASSENGER AND GET YOUR TAXI IMPOUNDED FOR A WEEK. THE FINE COULD BE $500 TO GET THE TAXI RELEASED FROM THE POUND NOT LESS THAN 7 DAYS FROM THE INFRACTION DATE. ONCE WORD GETS PASSED AROUND, TAXIS WILL TAKE YOU TO STATEN ISLAND IF NEED BE.

JOE, BAY TERRACE

Yes, it seems at times no one is on duty. It sure stinks when a cabbie decides he doesnt want to take you for a ride. Then again, I see many drunk college age students in my neighborhood, some come out vomiting from cabs, so I can understand if they dont want to pick them up. I know I wouldnt want to clean up barf. These kids vomit all over the street too, push over garbage cans and are a loud nuisance - if a cabby sees this - why would he want them in his car ?

Just saying.
Esmerelda
East Village, NYC

We have gone through this many years back and this is how our local private cab companies began their existence. Personally I agree that they will loose money without a return trip and I really wouldn't want to ride in a yellow where a driver really doesn’t want to take me to my destination anyway. That leads me to believe that he will be driving with a vengeance and we will get the ride of our life.

Why is this question coming up now? BLOOMBERG PERHAPS.

maxxiee
mp

Cabs, charlie, washington heights a week ago I took a yellow cab from washington heights with the intention of going to jfk.... before we left manhattan,30 minutes later in bumper to bumper traffic the cabbie says we need to get out because he has to go somewhere.... he did not charge us but left us stranded in a neighborhood with no yellow cabs.....

Charles

Get a Taxi to bring me home to Staten Island, NO WAY unless I am at JFK or LGA!

Chuck
St George, Staten Island

I have frequently been denied a ride from Manhattan to Jackson Heights, Queens - one time it was pouring rain and I was escorting a handicapped lady. I wanted to KILL the drivers! I wouldn't mind paying a surcharge to be able to get a cab to the outer boros, so long as it was not double the fare.

Frances
East Village

Standing at Madison & 97th street at 4:30 pm. All yellow cabs have their off duty signs on & passengers inside. I am waiting to hail a cab & off duty taxi pulls over to ask where I was going. Refused to enter cab because cab was 'off duty'!!

Christina

Theres some parts of the city,yellow cabs just cant be found and if they are in the area they are by-passing ,going to better areas for safety reasons. People know where yellow cabs dont like to go,usually a gypsy cab will take you to these areas.

John from woodside.

Never tell a cabbie where you're going until you get in?! I get denied going to Queens all the time on hailing on 59th st and I live just over the bridge? Its like a ten minute ride? and usually there is someone in my neighborhood trying to find a cab!? Its ridiculous but I usually don't have the energy to argue with them so I just keep trying...

Allan in Queens

I have been fortunate. I work on 57th Street and I live in Parkchester. There have been times I needed to get home in a hurry and every time I hailed a cab they were willing to take me to the Bronx. When I'm frantic and in a hurry to get home a driver always come to my rescue. Not all drivers refuse to travel out of boroughs because they don't want the fare, sometimes they're changing shifts and know that the traffic may prevent them from getting back to their base in time.

Tara,
Parkchester

I think that yellow taxis that refuse to service certain areas should have their license revoked. The taxi drivers should be very glad that they are getting business, particularly during these dire economic times when many people cannot even afford to take a cab!

I have not been denied a ride recently because I don’t take cabs...I take the subway.

My name is Peggy and I live in Washington Hts/Inwood community.

If a driver refuses to take you where you want to go, turn him in. Period. Maybe the $500 fine will convince these drivers to play by the rules for a change. Incidentally, if you always have cash for your ride, the excuse of “my credit card machine is broken” won’t work.

Helen

Supporting the African American gentleman. I am Asian American:
Things have gone out of hand. As the gentleman said, cabbies do take white people before people of color. Their numbers should be bigger. I know it is racial profiling because when my spouse hails a cab he always gets one. If they want to do business in NYC they should abide by our laws. All this internalized racism has to stop. (Internalized meaning people of color cabbies not picking up other people of color)

from Michael Upper West Side Manhattan

Over the years, as an African-American male, the following has happened to me: 1. I have been asked to show a driver my money even while I am dressed in a suit. 2. I have had to have a white co-worker hail me a cab. 3. I have had cabbies tell me they have engine trouble after only going a few blocks. I understand its a dangerous job, but the law is the law.

Todd (Brooklyn)

How come the town cars can refuse a ride?

Paul, Manhattan

I'm done with them. They just won't leave manhattan! I'd rather walk few blocks to an express bus stop;the bus is smooth ,clean and almost always the right temperature.Why won't the cabbies use a/c in the summer?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Rob

My sister and i are african american and its impossible to get a carb, time and time again the carb driver will pass me straight to pick up the white guy at the next corner, with that being said i dont think it a matter of the carb driver not wanting to leave manhattan but more a racist thing-I dont know the answer????. "Its sad"!!!!!

Kesha

I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, a relatively safe area, and I am denied trips at least 25 percent of the time from a short trip like Wall Street. The driver will often tell me "I'm going off duty, get the next driver," but other drivers are reluctant to take me once one driver has denied me. The drivers that do take me clearly have an attitude about going. I try to get in the cab before they ask me where I'm going, and I've gone so far as to refuse to leave the car if they don't want to take me! I'm a 30 year old woman and leaving me on the street is completely unfair!

Nicole, Park Slope

NEWS FLASH! That's their job! If they don't want to do it...find another job to do. Thank goodness for the Livery drivers. N

Norm. Upper East side

I live in Astoria, Queens and on more than one occasion while trying to take cab from Midtown I've been kicked out of a cab because the cabbie claimed their tire pressure light was on. All they do is kick me out and turn their "off duty" light on and drive down the block and pick up another fare on the corner. They intentionally leave the tire pressure lights on just so they have the option of kicking you out. After talking with one of them candidly they absolutely hate crossing bridges. So I agree yes they should fine the drivers.

Chris

The fine is justified. They're breaking a major rule. It's their job!

Usually they'll have their light turned off, they'll roll up and ask me where I'm going. I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 10 minutes from the Midtown Tunnel, and even I get refused every time

Oh and yes I've been refused rides constantly because of where I'm going.

Julie

The drivers maybe afraid to go to Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Ruthann

Few issues to consider....
1) its a tough job new Yorkers blame cabbies for everything
2) passengers know their rights but have no clue how the industry operates
3) pax use horrible language...but they only remember f word when driver express it,

Avi

I live in Brooklyn and always get in the taxi before i say where i'm going, so not only have I been denied rides, but I've been literally thrown out of taxis. When i want to complain the TLC tells me i need to miss a work day for a hearing, so i give up. It should be easier to complain, as long as the evidence is valid.

Being a taxi driver is a choice, and being in New York, one of the most notorious cities for traffic, is also a choice, so if they don't want to drive they shouldn't be working in New York City.

Tj ft greene

To decrease congestion in nyc by limiting commercial deliveries to midnight to 6am, thus freeing up the streets for passenger traffic, LiKE OTHER MAJOR CITIES do.

Then cabbies may be less likely to NEED to be selective about picking passengers based on their destinations. After 32 years in NYC, this seems to be a no-brainer. What does Mr Bloomberg think?

You won't see cab drivers in Zuccati Park. They can't afford to not be on the road.

Gail
Manhattan

To answer your question, I am white so I know that I will never be denied a fare.

Brian,
Upper West Side

Taxi Driver: I can't take a taxi to Brooklyn at 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon because I won't get back in time to hand over my car. The ride will make me $12 and take me an hour, how do I make any money. How about being on our side? Thanks

Paul

I am happy that they are cracking down on this nonsense and all NYorkers should report these cabbies. It is stupid they will not take people further out because it is mostly those people who live in the outer boroughs that need the ride the most. And the fare is more than made up for because the costs is so much more to get to these places. Their decisions are too often made on the basis of skin-color which is ridiculous because most of them are of color. I have had many cabbies try to say they were off-duty when I said I was coming to Williamsburg.People need to report the fake off duty thing too.

BTW, that caller Sally is obviously either a cabby or married to one.

Courtney

I can understand how people can be upset about being denied a taxi ride outside Manhattan. I believe the taxi drivers need support though for safety and getting paid. I can relate a story about an intern at my workplace.

He related at a luncheon how he needed a cab ride home to Staten Island after one late night of some activity. This person asked to be left off a block from his house. He then proceeded to scoot out the cab and escape paying the fare. Leaving the taxi driver out money and time.

John, Oakwood

Every time I'm in the city trying to get home, the taxi would either not stop or when I get in and say I'm going to Queens they would say they don't know how to get there or they just started the job.

I feel like they don't stop because #1) I'm an African American #2)when I get into the cab they don't want to go to Queens and would put me out.

I think they are so many people seriously looking for a job and if they don't want to do it then give the job to someone who does.

Its not about being scared for there lives when they refuse well dress professional females as well.

Kizzy

All the private vehicles should be banned in Manhattan except the cabs so that they can sail back into the city without being stuck in bridge traffic and they would be sure to collect a return fare for those who don't feel like taking the train or bus into the city.

Upper East Side
Mely

I saw a Ford Crown Victoria hit from the side and flip over and than the roof collapse.
So all these people should be thankful if they have been refused a ride those death trap vehicles made in America by the FORD Motor company. Please inform your viewers that the subway is a lot safer than riding in a cab!

John

The problem of taxi driver is not limited to the issue of going to the outer boroughs. I reside in Morningside Heights (near Columbia University). On several occasions, I've had drivers refuse to take me to Zabar's on 80th Street, or to the Upper East Side. If it's not convenient for the taxi driver, the driver can and will refuse. Sometimes this dialogue is done before I even get in the taxi, so it's not always easy to obtain the medallion number.

Similar to your first caller, I've had drivers tell me when I've gotten in that the credit card machine isn't working, but suddenly on the taxi tv it's clear that the machine is working. Because I'm a woman, I'm fearful of getting into a confrontation, so I will say that I have less $$ than I do, because I don't want to worry for my safety. This allows me to ride for less, and let the driver get the cash he wants. And I encountered the same taxi driver twice, two weeks in-a-row, and the credit card machine wasn't working. When I said to the driver that I recognized him from the prior week, I asked why he hadn't gotten it fixed. He then turned the machine on! Why would college students need major training for this study? A refusal is a refusal, no matter how old the passenger is!

Also, for these infractions, does the passenger need to attend a hearing? Once I did that, & the driver did not show, so I automatically won. However, the location of the hearing is very inconvenient for me, so that would be a deterrent to reporting this if I knew I would need to appear. I don't have that kind of time to expend, so I'd love to know if this infraction requires a hearing.

Great topic - keep up the good work, and maybe push to have the show extended to an hour.

Jan
Morningside Heights (Columbia Univ.), NY

Last I checked even the furthest part of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens is still a part of NYC.

A yellow cab carries a NYC medallion, it's value protected by NYC guidelines - so a driver of a yellow cab, has to oblige and go anywhere in the city.

The $500 fine is the least that should be considered for scorning a NYC residents and mistreating him as some entity living too far.

Maybe its time for the Limousine Commission to revisit the issue of the lease fees and metering compensation to offset the long distance commute for the driver.

What also is most troubling and not yet addressed is the number of yellows floating around the East and West Village, Tribeca and SOHO, between midnight and 4 AM with off duty signs, and selecting passengers traveling between clubs, as if the yellows were jitneys between the clubs.

Andrew - Ft Greene/Clinton Hill - Brooklyn

Screw the cabbies, let them go to hell. I got in a cab in front of Bloomingdales WITH A BROKEN FOOT and the cabbie refused to take me to Williamsburg, even after I explained my foot was broken and that I would tell him how to get there. Had I been able to find a police officer I would have reported the driver. I couldn't get any other cab to go to Williamsburg that day, I wound up calling my local car service and waiting for them to come and get me.

Amy
Williamsburg

Yes, I have been refused a cab ride because I live in Forest Hills and drivers don't want to come out to the outer boroughs. I understand why drivers object but A) I am prepared to overtip to somewhat compensate the drivers, B) I should not be treated like a second class citizen just because I dare to live somewhere other than the sanctified island of Manhattan and C) whenever other alternatives are proposed the drivers start screaming about losing their jobs. It was bruited about at one point to allow street hails of limos outside of Manhattan and the taxi drivers' union started screaming right away about the poor drivers losing work. Excuse me, what work? You refuse to come to my neighborhood so how are you losing anything if I hail a passing limo?

Rant over.
Ellen

What is the job requirements for taxi drivers? If they cant fulfill the requirements, they should find another job that meets their needs!! It is a service job, the service should be provided to it's costumers.

L

After getting into an accident at work and having my knee put in a brace,standing in front of belvue hospital on crutches I flagged a few of them down they found out I was going to queens they drove off so I'm glad they're getting fined. They should get 3 strikes like in Baseball. Fined twice and the 3rd time get their hack licenses taken away for 6 months if it happens a 2nd time 1 year a third taken away for good.

Patrick

All of this cab trouble comes from so many people who want to be here and yet do not want to learn anything about American culture. Driving a cab is rendering public service and our law does not allow for picking and choosing their customers racially. Many immigrant cabbies do not understand this basic point in American culture. Allowing people to render a public service without any knowledge of our culture is not a kindness to them, nor a good thing for those of us who are ourselves not racist in the services we render. Racism in this case is from one minority group to another-- in some ways the worst kind. We send our troops abroad to get killed for stopping this sort of nonsense and yet we do nothing here. SHAME SHAME SHAME

Michael

I was on 44th and 8th ave today at 4:30pm trying to take a cab to 176 and fort washington. I was approached by 6 cab drivers, 3 had off duty signs and approached, asked for my destination and said "oh sorry, I'm off duty". I responded by asking why they even asked if they were off duty anyway! 1 driver who had a cc machine said he would only take cash there. 2 drivers flat out said no.

A ton of cabs with off duty signs.

M

The problem is the TLC

Paul

My opinion says refusing customer to Bronx, Brooklyn and staten Island is because of unsafe condition out there. Many of friends r bitten to death. Who is responsible for this. Do u think Bloomberg is gonna take responsible. No way

Next when u go to pay it parking tickets at finance dept with the credit card they charge us 2 dollar for using credit card why don't taxi driver allowed to that. So looking at present situation city needs to be safe. The area is no safe. The mta driver never gets ticket when he refuse to customer an leave the customer behind. So city needs to be fair

Littlehope

This is a luxury problem. Take the subway. Unless it's late at night and your in a very scary neighborhood like the upper east side. You never know what kind of terrible people you might run into up there! Yeesh!

This is Malcolm from Brooklyn

On post Thanksgiving night @ 1:30 am I left a friends house on on 8th Ave, between 134 and 135th St. and observed a yellow cab letting a passenger off. Wearing a white coat and hat, I stepped out and waved my arms indicating that I wanted him to pick me up. I also observed a gypsy cab directly behind him. I preferred the gypsy but felt it unfair to take the yellow cab over gypsy. When the yellow cab pulled up to me, he looked at me and immediately made a U turn right in front of me and headed downtown. I hailed the gypsy and asked if he saw what just happened? he said yes. I told him to follow the yellow cab. I
I photographed him while in transient until he was stopped by the red light at the light on 126th & 8th. I jumped out the cab and began photographing his cab with him sitting inside. When he realized it was me, he jumped put of his cab and tried to grab my camera while calling me a slew of [names]. Observers resented his actions and began to yell at him.

Sara

Born and raised in Harlem, I’ve had to deal with these annoying drivers my entire life! So, my company took action - we built an iPhone app to report NYC taxi drivers to the Taxi & Limousine Commission: http://reportataxi.com.

Ahmed

Then the government should allow 27% more medallion licensing. If there are over 13000 yellow cabs add an additional 27% 3510 cabs.

If it continues, then continue issuing more medallion licensing until they all agree to pick up people.

The monopoly must stop.

Damond