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Old 01-28-2010, 09:58 AM
Status: "Wishing all the best of health and peace!" (set 7 days ago)
 
43,440 posts, read 44,149,883 times
Reputation: 20466

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Quote:
Originally Posted by redrunner+2 View Post
They can't refuse a fare but I've had that happen to me many times when trying to get a cab in/to Queens. We even had it happen at the airport "I can't go to Queens." Uh, the airport is in Queens!
The taxi drivers don't like to go from the airports to Queens' destinations as it is a short distance and they don't make a lot of money on such a short trip.
But at JFK, the driver can ask for a paper from the attendant so they can go to the head of the line on their return to the airport to pick up more passengers.
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Old 01-28-2010, 10:55 AM
 
Location: Central, NJ
2,730 posts, read 6,103,279 times
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Was he driving with the light on or off? I've had off duty cabs ask me where I was going and either take me or not depending on where they're headed. I don't really believe that's true though because it just seems like they could claim to be off duty whenever.

Since I lived in Brooklyn when cabs wouldn't go to Brooklyn I do always get in before telling them where I'm going. But with the off duty game they ask before they unlock the doors. A funny story - a cab driver once told me his brakes weren't good enough to risk going over the Brooklyn Bridge. I said "yeah? I'll take my chances". It was some wild ride and his brakes were the least of the problem.
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Old 01-28-2010, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Brooklyn
40,049 posts, read 34,526,379 times
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They can't refuse a fare once you're inside the cab. If you give them too much information before you get in, yeah, they can refuse.

I remember one night I was coming back to New York from Florida, and decided to take a cab home. I was slightly nervous because I know full well that a lot of cabbies don't want to hear the word "Brooklyn." As it turned out, I was worrying about nothing; the cabbie told me that his company was actually based in Brooklyn. He might easily have refused a fare anyplace else!
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Old 01-28-2010, 12:10 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,317,173 times
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Exactly, as Fred said, you don't give your destination until you are in the vehicle with the door closed. If they refuse, you, lodge a complaint with the T&LC.
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Old 01-28-2010, 12:29 PM
 
12,340 posts, read 26,064,271 times
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It's illegal for yellow cabs to accept hails when their off-duty light is on.

This rule may be to prevent the game of having the cab pull over, ask you where you are going and then when he doesn't like your answer, pulling away on the basis of having his off-duty light on.
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Old 01-28-2010, 03:04 PM
 
155 posts, read 444,621 times
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Both cabs that refused me had their light on and were on duty. I didn't know that the refusal thing only applied once you were in the cab, thanks for the heads up. Explains why they rolled down the window and asked me where I was going.
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Old 01-29-2010, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Central, NJ
2,730 posts, read 6,103,279 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicYouth View Post
Both cabs that refused me had their light on and were on duty. I didn't know that the refusal thing only applied once you were in the cab, thanks for the heads up. Explains why they rolled down the window and asked me where I was going.
When the light is on, they're off duty.
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Old 01-29-2010, 10:28 AM
 
7,079 posts, read 37,889,131 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Irish Eyes View Post
When the light is on, they're off duty.
It depends WHICH light is on: when the CENTER light is on they're ON duty. When the two lights on either side of the center light are on they're OFF duty.
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Old 01-31-2010, 02:55 PM
 
15,534 posts, read 15,536,127 times
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There are all sorts of things that cabbies "can't" do, but do anyway, partly because it's such a pain to make a formal complaint.

I agree: Open the door, or just get in, before they have a chance to ask.
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Old 01-31-2010, 04:58 PM
 
4 posts, read 7,821 times
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Had this happen to me twice in the past 6 months or so in Manhattan. I often hop in a cab if I get off work late and one night was at about 6am, got in the cab, said I needed to get to Brooklyn, and the guy "apologetically" said his shift was ending and couldn't go to Brooklyn. I wasn't really annoyed cause I felt for the guy if he was telling the truth, but maybe he wasn't.

The other time, the guy just said he couldn't go to Bklyn.

Actually, a couple times, 1-2 times, the guy pulled up next to me and asked where I was going. Once he heard Bklyn, he said sorry, "going uptown."

It's easy enough to hop out and hail another one in 2 mins so I don't really care. Their loss.
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