Bridge Construction Turning Taxis Away from Brooklyn
Need a cab to Brooklyn? Fuhgeddaboudit! Some taxi drivers are turning away Brooklyn-bound passengers to avoid construction-related traffic tie-ups on the Brooklyn Bridge, a Post survey found.
Almost half the hacks hailed in lower Manhattan during weekday work hours refused to take a passenger over the span, which is under extensive renovation.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission said there’s no excuse to refuse a fare.
“At this point, drivers know quite well that that we do not tolerate service refusal anywhere, for any reason, and that the penalties for service refusal are appropriately stringent and could include the loss of their TLC license,” said TLC Commissioner David Yassky.
The TLC said rebuffed riders should report incidents by calling 311.
The agency received 611 ride-refusal complaints between Aug. 15 and Sept. 30, when major bridge work began.
While it’s unclear how many of those complaints directly involve Brooklyn snubs, riders only griped 421 times during the same period last year.
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By Candice M. Giove for the NY Post