Get a free ride! just ask to pay by card.
Let drivers complain. The law is they have to take credit cards or eat it. I know several folks who offer a credit card after their ride, the driver gets angry and kicks them out. Free ride!
Weird taxi credit card charges/overcharges
Unfortunately we just learned we have been victimized by taxi driver and/or company in Melbourne.
We took a cab ride that cost approx. $10 to the airport from the Comfort Inn and Suites Essendon and used our credit card to pay. The cabbie indicated that his EFTPOS machine was not working and used an old style swipe carbon copy machine to take our information. We received our statement this week and were charged $90.09 for this ride! Also, we have received another charge for a limo service in Australia for a date 2 weeks after we returned to Canada. We have been told that this is not the first time this has happened to cab customers in Melbourne. There has been a number of instances where a 'limo' charge has been applied to a credit card after taking a taxi in Melbourne.
The first charge, for the $90.09 came up on our statement as Black/Yellow Taxis Nth Melbourne AU. Does anyone know which company this is? I have contacted the Yellow Cabs and they say that their charges only come up as Black Cab.
The second charge, for the ride we never took. Comes up as Cab Account Aust Brunswick AU. When we called our credit card company they indicated that this was a limousine company.
We are disputing the charges with our credit card company and have filed a complaint with the Victoria Taxi Directorate.
First of all I want to warn all travelers to Melbourne about this scam (well all people that use taxis for that matter). If you have used your credit card to pay for a cab in Melbourne you should definitely keep an eye on your statements for weird charges or overcharges.
Also, I would like to know if anyone has had a similar situation or if anyone has any more information on this scam. Or if anyone knows which cab company's charges are listed as Black/Yellow Taxis Nth Melbourne.
Thank you and beware!!!
We took a cab ride that cost approx. $10 to the airport from the Comfort Inn and Suites Essendon and used our credit card to pay. The cabbie indicated that his EFTPOS machine was not working and used an old style swipe carbon copy machine to take our information. We received our statement this week and were charged $90.09 for this ride! Also, we have received another charge for a limo service in Australia for a date 2 weeks after we returned to Canada. We have been told that this is not the first time this has happened to cab customers in Melbourne. There has been a number of instances where a 'limo' charge has been applied to a credit card after taking a taxi in Melbourne.
The first charge, for the $90.09 came up on our statement as Black/Yellow Taxis Nth Melbourne AU. Does anyone know which company this is? I have contacted the Yellow Cabs and they say that their charges only come up as Black Cab.
The second charge, for the ride we never took. Comes up as Cab Account Aust Brunswick AU. When we called our credit card company they indicated that this was a limousine company.
We are disputing the charges with our credit card company and have filed a complaint with the Victoria Taxi Directorate.
First of all I want to warn all travelers to Melbourne about this scam (well all people that use taxis for that matter). If you have used your credit card to pay for a cab in Melbourne you should definitely keep an eye on your statements for weird charges or overcharges.
Also, I would like to know if anyone has had a similar situation or if anyone has any more information on this scam. Or if anyone knows which cab company's charges are listed as Black/Yellow Taxis Nth Melbourne.
Thank you and beware!!!
Why is the taxi credit card machine always broken?
What's up with Red Top cab drivers who always have credit card machines that are not working or they do not have the credit card slips? If this was a one time thing, I could understand but it's not. I am a regular cab passenger or I hire cabs to take our company's business associates to the airport or other destination. I am not sure why a good majority of cab driver's only want to deal in cash; maybe because they loose money paying fees, or they don't want traceable transactions....but I have a feeling there must be some regulations/guidelines governing these types of transactions. In the future, I will make note of every cab I take or get for another person, where the driver gives the same line about broken machines or no slips.
1 in 7 credit card rides successfully refused in NYC (more attempted)
47—"slightly" accepted credit cards.
9 drivers refused to accept credit cards at all.
1 driver accepted the credit card, and then tried to levy his own $0.35 transaction fee.
The nine drivers who refused offered a litany of poor excuses, including:
"There is a minimum cab fare for credit card use." (There isn't, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.)
There is a 35-cent transaction fee for credit cards." (Not so.)
"It's too short a ride." (No such thing.)
"It better be a good credit card." (Passengers can always pay with cash if the card is declined.)
The device doesn't have to be activated until the new year. (If it is installed, passengers can use it.)
If a cabbie gives you a hard time, you are in good company—Matthew Daus, New York's Taxi Commissioner, has been twice refused.
9 drivers refused to accept credit cards at all.
1 driver accepted the credit card, and then tried to levy his own $0.35 transaction fee.
The nine drivers who refused offered a litany of poor excuses, including:
"There is a minimum cab fare for credit card use." (There isn't, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.)
There is a 35-cent transaction fee for credit cards." (Not so.)
"It's too short a ride." (No such thing.)
"It better be a good credit card." (Passengers can always pay with cash if the card is declined.)
The device doesn't have to be activated until the new year. (If it is installed, passengers can use it.)
If a cabbie gives you a hard time, you are in good company—Matthew Daus, New York's Taxi Commissioner, has been twice refused.
Credit Card failed so forced to pay with Ipod
A 20-year old California college student touring New York City with a bum credit card was forced to pay her cab fare with an iPod nano, according to MSNBC.
According to reports, Natalie Lenhart took a cab from Manhattan to JFK airport, but when she tried to pay the $59 fare her credit card was rejected. So instead of running, like 95 percent of Americans would do, Lenhart faced officers at the airport who made her hand over her iPod nano, packed full of oldies such as James Taylor, valued at $140.
What kind of communist cop makes you pay a bill with personal property that is nearly twice as much as the debt? It sounds like some sort of gypsy cab scam that an American tourist would encounter in Eastern Europe.
When James Taylor read the story in the New York Post he was pretty peeved. So upset, in fact, that he decided to send Lehart a new iPod filled with his music.
A New Yorker “Would never have put up with it,” Taylor told the Post.
A true New Yorker would have had a few choice words for the driver and the cops I would imagine.
The cab driver has offered to return the iPod if the fare is paid.
According to reports, Natalie Lenhart took a cab from Manhattan to JFK airport, but when she tried to pay the $59 fare her credit card was rejected. So instead of running, like 95 percent of Americans would do, Lenhart faced officers at the airport who made her hand over her iPod nano, packed full of oldies such as James Taylor, valued at $140.
What kind of communist cop makes you pay a bill with personal property that is nearly twice as much as the debt? It sounds like some sort of gypsy cab scam that an American tourist would encounter in Eastern Europe.
When James Taylor read the story in the New York Post he was pretty peeved. So upset, in fact, that he decided to send Lehart a new iPod filled with his music.
A New Yorker “Would never have put up with it,” Taylor told the Post.
A true New Yorker would have had a few choice words for the driver and the cops I would imagine.
The cab driver has offered to return the iPod if the fare is paid.
Forced to use ATM vs. Credit Card Machine
The last time i wanted to pay with credit card, the guy made me go to an ATM (LGA to water street ride) and pay him in cash... his machine was broken. As a matter of fact, I have yet to see a cab with cc machine that isn't broken...
Why Chicago cabs don't take credit cards
Chicago cab drivers really, really, don't want to take your credit card. While the non-independent drivers are required to do so, they have no problem expressing their open disdain for the holy trinity of Visa/MasterCard/AmEx.
As a passenger, there's nothing I hate more than being made to feel like an asshole for simply paying what I owe.
Last Thursday, after arriving back at O'Hare from a long four-day trip to Canada, I dragged my luggage to the cab stand. I always ask cabbies before getting in their ride, "will you take my credit card?" Though the required answer is "yes," if I see a flash of resistance, I'll opt for another driver. I simply don't want the hassle or annoyance.
When I asked the cab driver at the front of the cab line whether he took credit cards, he nodded and smiled, so I jumped in the backseat. Within seconds--we hadn't even left the "Arrivals" area, he started complaining. "It's rush hour, and you're paying with a credit card," he mumbled. "I don't need this."
"If you don't want to take it," I said, "let me out. No harm."
"No, no. It's okay. I take your card."
"That's great. Thanks."
The complaints started up again the second we hit the Kennedy. "This traffic is very bad. I'm losing money sitting here," he said, making eye contact with me in his rearview mirror.
"Sorry?" I said, more as a question than empathetic statement.
"You're wasting my time," he said.
"Then you shouldn't have pulled out of O'Hare with me in your backseat," I said with a voice that was atypically loud. I'm not a yeller.
He mumbled something in another language. Actually, it may have been English. All I could understand was that he was pissed off.
"Paying with a credit card," he said, shaking his head histrionically. We were approaching Cumberland, and I eyed the Renaissance Hotel on the south side of the expressway. "Get off here," I said, "take me to the Renaissance. I'm done."
"What? You want to go to the Renaissance now?"
"Yes. I'm getting the fuck out of your cab, just like you wanted."
"No, no. It's okay. I take you where you want."
"Perfect. I want to go to the Renaissance."
"It's no big deal. I keep driving you."
"It is a big deal. Let me out at the hotel."
We parted ways without any further conversation. I gave him my credit card...he ran it...and I approached the first cab I saw in front of the hotel.
I asked my standard question of the new driver. "Sure, I'll take a credit card," he said. And with that, we were off.
My new driver didn't complain like the previous one. Instead, he lectured me throughout the entire trip on the reasons why cab drivers hate taking credit cards. The gist is that they have to pay a percentage for each credit card transaction; which, depending on the cost of the fare and tip, could find them losing money.
"That's rough," I said. "But aren't we moving towards becoming a cashless society? Isn't it only going to get worse?"
"Yes," he replied. "And it's fucking bullshit."
By all accounts, cab drivers have it rough. They have to deal with random strangers who can be rude, drunk, and/or dangerous. They don't have the luxury of being able to call in sick--if they're not behind the wheel, they're not making money. They also have to drive in traffic that's rarely rational or moderate. In short, driving a taxi is a suck job.
I can't speak to the costs of being a taxi operator, nor am I conversant on the rules and regulations that the city of Chicago imposes on them. All I know is that when I'm paying for a service, I don't want to be belittled or demeaned for doing so.
As a passenger, there's nothing I hate more than being made to feel like an asshole for simply paying what I owe.
Last Thursday, after arriving back at O'Hare from a long four-day trip to Canada, I dragged my luggage to the cab stand. I always ask cabbies before getting in their ride, "will you take my credit card?" Though the required answer is "yes," if I see a flash of resistance, I'll opt for another driver. I simply don't want the hassle or annoyance.
When I asked the cab driver at the front of the cab line whether he took credit cards, he nodded and smiled, so I jumped in the backseat. Within seconds--we hadn't even left the "Arrivals" area, he started complaining. "It's rush hour, and you're paying with a credit card," he mumbled. "I don't need this."
"If you don't want to take it," I said, "let me out. No harm."
"No, no. It's okay. I take your card."
"That's great. Thanks."
The complaints started up again the second we hit the Kennedy. "This traffic is very bad. I'm losing money sitting here," he said, making eye contact with me in his rearview mirror.
"Sorry?" I said, more as a question than empathetic statement.
"You're wasting my time," he said.
"Then you shouldn't have pulled out of O'Hare with me in your backseat," I said with a voice that was atypically loud. I'm not a yeller.
He mumbled something in another language. Actually, it may have been English. All I could understand was that he was pissed off.
"Paying with a credit card," he said, shaking his head histrionically. We were approaching Cumberland, and I eyed the Renaissance Hotel on the south side of the expressway. "Get off here," I said, "take me to the Renaissance. I'm done."
"What? You want to go to the Renaissance now?"
"Yes. I'm getting the fuck out of your cab, just like you wanted."
"No, no. It's okay. I take you where you want."
"Perfect. I want to go to the Renaissance."
"It's no big deal. I keep driving you."
"It is a big deal. Let me out at the hotel."
We parted ways without any further conversation. I gave him my credit card...he ran it...and I approached the first cab I saw in front of the hotel.
I asked my standard question of the new driver. "Sure, I'll take a credit card," he said. And with that, we were off.
My new driver didn't complain like the previous one. Instead, he lectured me throughout the entire trip on the reasons why cab drivers hate taking credit cards. The gist is that they have to pay a percentage for each credit card transaction; which, depending on the cost of the fare and tip, could find them losing money.
"That's rough," I said. "But aren't we moving towards becoming a cashless society? Isn't it only going to get worse?"
"Yes," he replied. "And it's fucking bullshit."
By all accounts, cab drivers have it rough. They have to deal with random strangers who can be rude, drunk, and/or dangerous. They don't have the luxury of being able to call in sick--if they're not behind the wheel, they're not making money. They also have to drive in traffic that's rarely rational or moderate. In short, driving a taxi is a suck job.
I can't speak to the costs of being a taxi operator, nor am I conversant on the rules and regulations that the city of Chicago imposes on them. All I know is that when I'm paying for a service, I don't want to be belittled or demeaned for doing so.
Locked in by a cabbie who didn't want to take a credit card
"He put his face into the plexiglass separation, the section that is left open, and screamed 'You f------ b----!' and spit at me, which I could feel spray all over my face. I screamed the loudest I have ever screamed in my life: 'Let me out of this cab!'" So ended a ride home to the Upper West Side for 24-year-old Sarah Snedeker, who claims her driver became irate when she insisted on paying by credit card, locking her in the cab for five minutes while they argued.
Earlier this month an East Village woman claimed a cab driver punched her in the face after refusing to accept her credit card payment; now more people are coming forward with stories of abusive cabbies. Michael Blumenthal, 28, tells the News how he narrowly escaped his driver’s wrath: The driver claimed his credit card machine was broken and during the ensuing argument he threatened to drive Blumenthal back to Manhattan.
Then Blumenthal attempted to get out of the car, opening the door at two red lights. Each time, the cabbie hit the gas. He finally got out of the cab at a red light in Long Island City.
"He then jumps out to come after me and I start to run," Blumenthal said. "He ran back to his cab and threw it in reverse. I run into an alley and he stops to go in after me with the car." Blumenthal said the cabbie couldn't catch him because the taxi got stuck behind a street-cleaning truck.
Neither Snedeker or Blumenthal took note of the cabs’ license plates or medallion numbers. Drivers have been trying to dissuade passengers from paying with plastic because they lose up to 5% of the fare on transaction fees. An undercover sting operation last month resulted in 93 summonses and calculated that cabbies refuse the cards about 7% of the time.
But judging by the anecdotal chatter we're hearing, hacks have been refusing plastic much more than that. Have you tried paying the fare with plastic lately?
Earlier this month an East Village woman claimed a cab driver punched her in the face after refusing to accept her credit card payment; now more people are coming forward with stories of abusive cabbies. Michael Blumenthal, 28, tells the News how he narrowly escaped his driver’s wrath: The driver claimed his credit card machine was broken and during the ensuing argument he threatened to drive Blumenthal back to Manhattan.
Then Blumenthal attempted to get out of the car, opening the door at two red lights. Each time, the cabbie hit the gas. He finally got out of the cab at a red light in Long Island City.
"He then jumps out to come after me and I start to run," Blumenthal said. "He ran back to his cab and threw it in reverse. I run into an alley and he stops to go in after me with the car." Blumenthal said the cabbie couldn't catch him because the taxi got stuck behind a street-cleaning truck.
Neither Snedeker or Blumenthal took note of the cabs’ license plates or medallion numbers. Drivers have been trying to dissuade passengers from paying with plastic because they lose up to 5% of the fare on transaction fees. An undercover sting operation last month resulted in 93 summonses and calculated that cabbies refuse the cards about 7% of the time.
But judging by the anecdotal chatter we're hearing, hacks have been refusing plastic much more than that. Have you tried paying the fare with plastic lately?
Driver Kidnaps Passenger For Not covering credit card costs (through tip)
"You will pay me my 10 percent tip, or I will not let you go," according to the police report.
While many people that work in positions where tips are expected, it doesn't make them mandatory, but a taxi driver thought different after kidnapping his passenger for not giving him a little extra for his services.
The driver was charged with extortion, false imprisonment and simple assault after his actions, along with having his cabbie license revoked.
Sohail Kahn, 57, taking a woman in New Orleans from her hotel to the airport, insisted on placing a $10 tip for the ride, but without her at first offering to actually tip.
Upon making the statement, the woman refused to allow the extra charge on her credit card and Kahn proceeded to hold her hostage until she gave him 10%, while waving his fist in her face.
Looking to make a point, the driver cut off the engine and locked the doors as the two engaged in an argument that lasted around half-an-hour until she dialed 911.
When authorities arrived, Khan was caught in a lie once he stated that he was simply trying to just cover the transaction fee for processing her card.
Good old public transportation there. I'll stick to good old bike or walking method. Better yet, just ask a friend
While many people that work in positions where tips are expected, it doesn't make them mandatory, but a taxi driver thought different after kidnapping his passenger for not giving him a little extra for his services.
The driver was charged with extortion, false imprisonment and simple assault after his actions, along with having his cabbie license revoked.
Sohail Kahn, 57, taking a woman in New Orleans from her hotel to the airport, insisted on placing a $10 tip for the ride, but without her at first offering to actually tip.
Upon making the statement, the woman refused to allow the extra charge on her credit card and Kahn proceeded to hold her hostage until she gave him 10%, while waving his fist in her face.
Looking to make a point, the driver cut off the engine and locked the doors as the two engaged in an argument that lasted around half-an-hour until she dialed 911.
When authorities arrived, Khan was caught in a lie once he stated that he was simply trying to just cover the transaction fee for processing her card.
Good old public transportation there. I'll stick to good old bike or walking method. Better yet, just ask a friend
Taxi Rage: Woman Punched For Trying To Charge Ride
There have been a number of reports of cab drivers balking at customers who try to pay with credit cards, but a woman is accusing a cabbie of actually punching her after she tried to charge a ride.
Tamara Perez tells CBS 2 HD she still can't believe it happened.
The incident happened Tuesday after Perez ran to her East Village home to pick up some papers. Once in the cab, the 35-year-old realized she had no cash the pay the $10 fare. Instead, she pulled out a credit card, but the cabbie wasn't having it.
"He wouldn't let me use the card, he wouldn't press the button," she tells CBS 2. "I said, 'You have to press the button,' and he's like, 'No, no I don't know, I don't know how to use it.'"
Perez says the driver got out of the cab and told her to go get cash. She refused, said she wanted to use the machine and would tip well.
"I tried to walk past him and he pushed me back into the cab. I got up and told him I was calling my husband who is a professional boxer," she says. "I started dialing the phone and he said, 'I give you a punch in the mouth' and he turned around and he socked me in the mouth."
Perez tried to copy down the driver's license number, but mixed up the numbers as he took off. She's hoping police can track down the crooked cabbie.
"I want new york to find him and prosecute him," she says.
Perez called 311 and 911 after the incident and filed complaints.
"We haven't yet identified the driver, but when we do he will be suspended. It is an aberration," says Matthew Daus, Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
Just yesterday, the TLC announced it had launched an undercover operation in place to try and catch cabbies if they refuse to use the credit card machine. Now the NYPD will be getting involved, too.
"When she got out of the car there was some kind of pushing event that she described that we heard initially. Now the story is that she was punched which is an assault, and obviously we will investigate that as an assault," says Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
The TLC says you should be able to tell if a taxi's credit card system is working by whether or not the machine's display light comes on when you get in a cab. If a driver refuses to use it, call 311.
Tamara Perez tells CBS 2 HD she still can't believe it happened.
The incident happened Tuesday after Perez ran to her East Village home to pick up some papers. Once in the cab, the 35-year-old realized she had no cash the pay the $10 fare. Instead, she pulled out a credit card, but the cabbie wasn't having it.
"He wouldn't let me use the card, he wouldn't press the button," she tells CBS 2. "I said, 'You have to press the button,' and he's like, 'No, no I don't know, I don't know how to use it.'"
Perez says the driver got out of the cab and told her to go get cash. She refused, said she wanted to use the machine and would tip well.
"I tried to walk past him and he pushed me back into the cab. I got up and told him I was calling my husband who is a professional boxer," she says. "I started dialing the phone and he said, 'I give you a punch in the mouth' and he turned around and he socked me in the mouth."
Perez tried to copy down the driver's license number, but mixed up the numbers as he took off. She's hoping police can track down the crooked cabbie.
"I want new york to find him and prosecute him," she says.
Perez called 311 and 911 after the incident and filed complaints.
"We haven't yet identified the driver, but when we do he will be suspended. It is an aberration," says Matthew Daus, Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
Just yesterday, the TLC announced it had launched an undercover operation in place to try and catch cabbies if they refuse to use the credit card machine. Now the NYPD will be getting involved, too.
"When she got out of the car there was some kind of pushing event that she described that we heard initially. Now the story is that she was punched which is an assault, and obviously we will investigate that as an assault," says Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
The TLC says you should be able to tell if a taxi's credit card system is working by whether or not the machine's display light comes on when you get in a cab. If a driver refuses to use it, call 311.
Why do Taxi drivers always say their credit card machine is giving them problems?
This has really pissed me off lately, but I’ve been on several business trips where the Taxi driver says - "Oh my credit card machine is giving me problems, sorry."
It got worse with my recent business trip to Boston, where 3 out of the 4 taxi drivers told me the same thing, and the last one said that his machine was giving him problems all day, and he didnt even try to see if it was working.
So he said, "how much cash you got?" I said which is all I had, so then he gave a big sigh and then pressed his machine and swiped my card and VIOLA! it worked on the first try, what a load of crap he was giving me.
It got worse with my recent business trip to Boston, where 3 out of the 4 taxi drivers told me the same thing, and the last one said that his machine was giving him problems all day, and he didnt even try to see if it was working.
So he said, "how much cash you got?" I said which is all I had, so then he gave a big sigh and then pressed his machine and swiped my card and VIOLA! it worked on the first try, what a load of crap he was giving me.
Cabdrivers Deported for taking Credit Cards
Weeks ago the Philadelphia Parking Authority mailed a letter to immigrant cabdrivers telling them that credit-card payments were owed to them and to come to the PPA to get paid, drivers said.
When 26 drivers showed up at the PPA garage and impoundment offices in South Philadelphia Wednesday, 23 wound up handcuffed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who determined the cabbies were in the United States illegally, according to ICE spokesman Mark Medvesky.
All but four were released but their names were placed on a deportation list. Medvesky didn't detail why the four others were held.
PPA spokesman Marty O'Rourke would say only that "the Parking Authority worked with federal authorities on this operation."
Two of the three cleared drivers identified themselves as American citizens and said that the experience had been both harrowing and humiliating and that they, too, had been handcuffed and interrogated.
One of them, Oliver, who didn't want his last name used, said a receptionist greeted him when he went into the PPA offices on Swanson Street near Ritner Wednesday morning.
"She asked for my Social Security number and said they had a check for me and that a gentleman was going to walk me into the next room to pick [it] up," he said.
Once inside, Oliver said, Immigration and Customs officers "grabbed me and pushed me against the wall and put handcuffs on me."
"I said I am an American citizen but they didn't listen to me," he said. "They took me to the warehouse behind the office. I met a lot of guys that were handcuffed there."
Oliver, who is from Nigeria and said he has been a U.S. citizen for nine years, said that he happened to have his passport in his cab and that after he presented it to ICE officials, they let him go.
He worked briefly yesterday, he said, but "I was really emotionally messed up. My leg was still shaking. It was terrible."
Oloyede, a cabbie born in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and naturalized here in 2006, said he, too, was traumatized. "I didn't know what I did wrong," he said.
Medvesky said the sting had been conducted because cabdrivers have access to areas of Philadelphia International Airport where the public doesn't normally go. "We consider this a public-safety issue. We're constantly looking for places with vulnerabilities, like the airport," he said.
He said those arrested were from the United Kingdom, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Jamaica, Ivory Coast and India.
Ronald Blount, president of the Unified Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, said that he had received different figures from the PPA but that even if the arrested drivers were illegals, the 23 were "out of a pool of 5,000 drivers."
"It's not like it's a big problem in this industry," Blount said. "At least 85 percent [of taxi drivers] are first-generation immigrants and here legally."
He said the Parking Authority itself screens cabbies every year, and they must present proof that they are here legally when their licenses come up for renewal.
When 26 drivers showed up at the PPA garage and impoundment offices in South Philadelphia Wednesday, 23 wound up handcuffed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who determined the cabbies were in the United States illegally, according to ICE spokesman Mark Medvesky.
All but four were released but their names were placed on a deportation list. Medvesky didn't detail why the four others were held.
PPA spokesman Marty O'Rourke would say only that "the Parking Authority worked with federal authorities on this operation."
Two of the three cleared drivers identified themselves as American citizens and said that the experience had been both harrowing and humiliating and that they, too, had been handcuffed and interrogated.
One of them, Oliver, who didn't want his last name used, said a receptionist greeted him when he went into the PPA offices on Swanson Street near Ritner Wednesday morning.
"She asked for my Social Security number and said they had a check for me and that a gentleman was going to walk me into the next room to pick [it] up," he said.
Once inside, Oliver said, Immigration and Customs officers "grabbed me and pushed me against the wall and put handcuffs on me."
"I said I am an American citizen but they didn't listen to me," he said. "They took me to the warehouse behind the office. I met a lot of guys that were handcuffed there."
Oliver, who is from Nigeria and said he has been a U.S. citizen for nine years, said that he happened to have his passport in his cab and that after he presented it to ICE officials, they let him go.
He worked briefly yesterday, he said, but "I was really emotionally messed up. My leg was still shaking. It was terrible."
Oloyede, a cabbie born in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and naturalized here in 2006, said he, too, was traumatized. "I didn't know what I did wrong," he said.
Medvesky said the sting had been conducted because cabdrivers have access to areas of Philadelphia International Airport where the public doesn't normally go. "We consider this a public-safety issue. We're constantly looking for places with vulnerabilities, like the airport," he said.
He said those arrested were from the United Kingdom, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Jamaica, Ivory Coast and India.
Ronald Blount, president of the Unified Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, said that he had received different figures from the PPA but that even if the arrested drivers were illegals, the 23 were "out of a pool of 5,000 drivers."
"It's not like it's a big problem in this industry," Blount said. "At least 85 percent [of taxi drivers] are first-generation immigrants and here legally."
He said the Parking Authority itself screens cabbies every year, and they must present proof that they are here legally when their licenses come up for renewal.
Taken for a Ride?
Taken for a ride.
You grab a cab, you should be able to swipe your card and pay your way. But we found some who try to cab it on credit are told the machine is broken. Our hidden camera investigation found that may not be true. Are you getting taken for a ride? Hank investigates.
Our undercover producers are hailing cabs for just one reason.
"Taxi!"
We want to see if they will let them pay with a credit card.
If you've been in the back seat of a Boston cab lately, you've seen the fancy brand new machines. Last July, the city's Hackney division -- part of the Boston Police Department -- told drivers: You've got to take plastic, or you can't take passengers.
Mark Cohen, Director of Licensing, Boston Police Dept.
"The police department is absolutely dedicated to make this work."
We found lots of cabs were with the program we hopped in, tapped the screen, swiped the card and were on our way. But we found some cab drivers trying to trick passengers into paying cash.
Watch this: "Do you take credit cards?"
The driver first asks: "How much cash do you have?" And then he tells our producer his credit card machine "doesn't always work." Knowing the score, she pushes the buttons, and it works just fine.
And our investigation found passengers say this driving deception is happening all over town.
Taxi Passengers:
"They say oh no the credit card machine is broken today."
"There will be a sign right by the credit card machine, or over the credit card machine, that says its broken."
"They'll insist that the machine is broken."
But then, when these savvy passengers insisted they had no cash, suddenly the machines were fine.
Taxi Passengers:
"It always works."
"If I try it, it does work."
"First it was broken, then it worked."
Officials admit, they know the "machine is broken" line is frequently just a line.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7NEWS
"How often are the drivers just not telling the truth?"
Mark Cohen, Director of Licensing, Boston Police Dept.
"More often than not."
In fact, over and over, drivers told our undercover riders their machines were out of order.
And it's not just us. We found complaints about this are pouring into the police department. Just since last July, they've gotten 245 of them. That's more than one every day.
Hank Phillippi Ryan, 7NEWS
"That's a lot of complaints."
Mark Cohen, Director of Licensing, Boston Police Dept.
"Well, I think we have our work cut out for us."
Why would cabbies do it? Credit card companies charge the drivers a fee for each transaction, so that mean they make less money for each trip. If they can get you to pay in cash, they cash in. That's against the rules, but here's what drivers don't know.
Police showed us this computer in police headquarters. It runs 24/7, recording and storing every taxi trip and every taxi transaction. So when customers report a broken credit card machine, the police can check to see if the claim is true.
Mark Cohen, Director of Licensing, Boston Police Dept.
What will happen is we we bring that driver in, and if he doesn't have a good reason, there's a chance that he will lose his license for a day or two.
Police hope cabbies will realize that in the long run taking credit cards is a good thing, encouraging more passengers and bringing bigger tips. But if you think you've been deceived, check out the link below for how to report it!
In the newsroom, I'm Hank Philippi Ryan.
To report something to Boston Police Hackney's Division: http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/taxi.asp
(Copyright (c) 2010 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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