Eighty New York City Car Services Caught in TLC Sting Updated June 3, 2010 1:42pm

David Yassky, head of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. (Flickr/New York City Council)

By Della Hasselle

DNA Info Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — A recent undercover investigation conducted by the Taxi & Limousine Commission found that 17 percent of New York City’s for-hire car services are either denying disabled passengers or overcharging them for rides.

The 10-month-long investigation occurred in two ways.

In a method called "Bait, Fish, and Hook," when investigators requested vehicles in the guise of disabled people, 31 bases ignored the special requests and sent insufficiently equipped cars.

In another operation done by phone, investigators requested price quotes. Once an investigator received a quote, they would say they needed a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. After receiving the additional information, 49 car services upped their original price quotes, the TLC said.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, livery cab companies are required to provide equal service at the same cost to disabled and non-disabled riders alike. 

In total, 80 out of the city’s 460 livery cab and black car services were caught in the TLC sting, and will summarily be fined $1,000 and have their operating licenses suspended.

“What for-hire-vehicle base operators should take away from this initiative is that any caller, at any time, could be a TLC officer testing their compliance with the rules requiring equivalent levels of service for persons with disablities,” TLC chief David Yassky said in a statement.