WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from USA
NYC CABBIES TARGETED BY CREW THAT’S ROBBED 22 DRIVERS
Angry New York City cabbies are offering a cash reward for infor- mation about a “tap and snatch”
crew
that’s ripped off 22 drivers in 22 pre- cincts over the last eight weeks in a crime spree a union spokesman called “unheard of.” Fernando Mateo of New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers said the NYPD should have told cabbies about the spree - which often relies on crooks seizing the driver’s phone and wiring cash through apps such as Zelle or Venmo. Other times, they’ll ask to see the driver’s phone to type an address or change their destination - and then they run, according to the NYPD. “Cell phones today are the equivalent of cash, and criminals out there know this,” Mateo said. “So, they’re no longer putting a gun to your head and saying, ‘Give me your cash’. Instead, they’re saying, ‘Give me your phone.’ “Then they either Zelle, Venmo or do whatever they have to do to take all the cash you have,” he said. “It’s no longer $100 you may have in your pocket, now it’s thousands of dollars.” One unfortunate victim lost $7,000 to the crew, whose members either hail a cab or just jump in the backseat when the driver slows down, he said. “Most of them are either armed with a knife, or they pretend to be armed,” Mateo said. “If the driver is facing forward and if somebody puts something here to his neck, he doesn’t know if it’s a toothpick or a knife.” Mateo also pilloried the NYPD for not telling cabbies about the crimes earlier. “This is a pattern we should have been advised about in early January, after the third or fourth robbery of cell phones,” he said. “But if the NYPD doesn’t tell us anything, there’s no way for us to communicate to our 30,000 drivers that are out there hustling every day and being robbed every day,” he continued. “We demand … the NYPD lets us know when patterns
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arise so that we can stop [them] from going forward.” The department is investigating the crimes, he said. And the union is offering $2,000 to anyone who can tell officials who’s behind the crimes. “They’re very smart … because they’ve hit 22 times in 22 different precincts,” Mateo said. “They don’t do it in the same neighbourhood.” “There are 200,000 taxi drivers in New York City so they have 200,000 possible targets that they can target at any given moment.”
NEW YORK TAXI DRIVERS PUSH FOR BATHROOM BREAK RELIEF
NYC’s iconic yellow taxis face a challenge beyond navigating congested avenues: the daily struggle for drivers to find a toilet. Working up to 12-hour shifts, cab and ride-hailing drivers are often forced to hunt for scarce parking spots just to relieve themselves. Now, a coalition of drivers is pushing for the city to grant them special placards allowing brief stops in restricted areas, such as bus lanes. “Drivers are being tortured by not being able to stop and use the toilet when they need to,” says Fernando Mateo of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, which represents 30,000 drivers. “We have worked hard to get barber shops, restaurants and small businesses to allow taxi drivers to go use the bathroom, but when they come back out, within minutes, they get a ticket. And now the tickets are being issued by automation.” The situation is so dire that some drivers have resorted to public urination, risking hefty penalties. “If they get caught relieving themselves next to their car, then it’s called indecent exposure, and at that point you could lose your licence,” Mateo explained. The Federation is proposing a permit system: drivers would display a placard on their windscreen allowing them a 10-minute window without fear of ticketing. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) acknowledged the issue. “Access to bathrooms for TLC drivers is fundamental to humane working conditions, and an important issue that we take seriously,” said TLC spokesman Jason Kersten. “We are constantly seeking ways to expand bathroom access for TLC drivers within our limited public space, including working with our partners at the Department of Transport to identify spots for new taxi and for-hire vehicle relief stands.”
MARCH 2025 PHTM
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