Author: admin

Categories
Pedicab Scams in New York City

A New York City Pedicab Ride is $11 Per Minute

New York City Pedicab Scams have come to new highs because of the weakness of the pedicab laws and the lack of enforcement by the New York Police Department and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

New York City pedicab drivers charge $11 per minute for the rides and they add unauthorized tips without the customers’ signatures.

New York Pedicab Services was contacted by one of the victims of these pedicab scams and the victim provided the receipt of her ride where the pedicab driver charged her $11 per minute for the ride. Please see that receipt below:

$11 Per Minute Pedicab Receipt

The pedicab victim also indicated to New York Pedicab Services that she never authorized or signed the receipt for the authorization of the payment of a $176 tip.

New York Pedicab Services has recently received a lot of calls and emails from people who indicated that the pedicab driver added tips without any authorization. It seems that the pedicab drivers collectively engage in criminal activities.

New York City pedicab scammers use illegal rate cards like the rate card below to fraudulently charge $11 per minute:

$11 Per Minute Pedicab Rate Card

Please, ask for a FULL PRICE UPFRONT before you get on a pedicab in New York City or you will most likely get scammed.

Categories
Government News Pedicab Scams in New York City

New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher Wants More Regulations and Enforcement for New York City Pedicabs

It seems that the efforts of New York Pedicab Services are finally paying off.

New York Pedicab Services has been receiving hundreds of scam and fraud complaints in the past decade.

New York Pedicab Services created a webpage to address the systematic fraud and scams by New York City pedicabs and in this webpage, New York Pedicab Services specifically encouraged people who became the victims of pedicab fraud and scams to contact the New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher’s office as he represents the area where the New York City pedicabs work: Midtown West.

Here is the webpage that New York Pedicab Services created:

https://newyorkpedicabservices.com/pedicab-scams-in-new-york-city.html

According to Patch Media (a local news and information platform, based in Manhattan), Erik Bottcher has expressed concern about the proliferation of pedicabs in areas like the Theater District, Hell’s Kitchen, and Times Square.

New York City Council Member Eric Bottcher

The council member claims that pedicabs are causing problems by blasting loud music, disrupting Broadway shows, and overcharging riders, with some fares exceeding $25 per minute.

Bottcher has called for increased oversight and regulation of pedicabs, addressing a letter to the heads of three city agencies: the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the NYPD, and the Department of Environmental Protection.

He wants these agencies to enforce existing regulations and develop new rules to address noise and pricing issues associated with pedicabs. Bottcher’s office has received numerous complaints about pedicabs, prompting his call for action to improve the situation.

The full article is at the link below:

https://patch.com/new-york/midtown-nyc/bottcher-takes-dead-aim-loud-scammy-pedicabs-hells-kitchen

Categories
Government

New York City Pedicab Driver Indicted for Bribery

Shokhru Alimov, a 41-year-old pedicab driver, has been indicted for attempting to bribe a New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) inspector to obtain pedicab registration plates. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the charges, stating that Alimov offered $60,000 for 34 plates outside of the legal lottery system. The incident occurred on May 10, 2023, at the Central Park North Meadow Recreation Center.

Alimov, having won only one plate in the 2023 lottery, pursued the plates aggressively. Between May 17 and May 31, he offered $7,500 for 15 plates immediately, with another $7,500 for renewal in November 2023. He also planned to buy more plates for additional pedicabs he had ordered.

The DCWP inspector, trained in anti-corruption, reported Alimov’s offer to the Department of Investigation (DOI), leading to his arrest on June 6 after he handed over $7,500 for 15 plates to a DOI investigator posing as a licensing official.

The case highlights the efforts of the Rackets Bureau to combat fraud and protect the integrity of government programs. The DCWP issues pedicab plates annually to maintain a limit of 850 pedicabs in the city, with a cap of 30 plates per individual or company. Alimov’s actions were seen as harmful to honest operators and the safety of New Yorkers and visitors. The DOI and DCWP praised the inspector’s prompt action in reporting the bribery attempt. Alimov faces charges of second-degree bribery, a Class C felony.

District Attorney Press Release for the Indictment of the New York City Pedicab DriverDownload

D.A. Bragg, DOI Commissioner Strauber, DCWP Commissioner Mayuga Announce Indictment of Pedicab Driver for Bribery

Categories
Pedicab Scams in New York City

New York Pedicabs Overcrowd the Theater District and Scam Their Passengers

According to the article posted by the Broadway News,

• The ever increasing number of unregulated and lawless New York City pedicabs clog the Broadway theater exists and create issues for the Broadway theaters and businesses.

• The New York City pedicabs just sit outside the theaters, they block the streets, they charge up to $700 for a single ride.

• Nederlander (the theater orgization) said that they posted No Parking signs for the pedicabs because the pedicab drivers have been very aggressive.

No Pedicab Standing Sign Outside the Lena Horne Theatre (Credit: Courtesy of Glass House Tavern)

• There are hundreds of pedicabs operating without a registration plate or a valid pedicab driver license.

• Most pedicab drivers do not post their legally required rate cards, timers and passenger information cards to scam their passengers. Broadway theaters and businesses have to figure out solutions to address the problems because the Department of Consumer Affairs has been hands off on these issues.

Sign showing that pedicabs charge $9 per minute in front of NYC Glass House Tavern Restaurant (Credit: Courtesy of Glass House Tavern)

• Chris Reilly, the owner of the Glass House Tavern Restaurant states that there are a lot of new drivers and they are increasingly aggressive and they create safety concerns. After some of the pedicab drivers became verbally abusive, the restaurant posted a sign showing pedicabs charge $9 per minute because the public had the right to know how much the pedicab drivers charge. Pedicab drivers ripped down the sign and then organized a defamation campaign against the restaurant with one star Google Business reviews. The tension between the drivers and the restaurant has subsided since.

• Kenny Winter, a New York City pedicab driver who has been in the business for 20 years, believes that the regulations and the insufficient enforcement made the pedicab scams flourish and continue. Kenny believes that the police officers do not even know what to look for in a pedicab to stop the pedicab scammers. Kenny believes the per minute rate should be capped and pedicab scams should be addressed properly through better enforcement to create a more hospitable environment for the city’s visitors.

The Broadway News Article is at the link below:

https://www.broadwaynews.com/theater-district-pedicabs-have-become-a-safety-hazard-and-a-risk-to-industry-related-businesses/

Categories
News

Police Seeking New York City Pedicab Driver for Hate Crime

According to the article published by the New York Daily News, the pedicab driver derided the transgender woman by saying “Hey, look at the tranny” to his passengers near Saks on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. An argument started when the victim responded. Then, the pedicab driver spit in her face and rode off. Hate Crimes Task Force is seeking this pedicab driver and his photos are published in the New York Daily Daily News Website:

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-pedicab-midtown-slur-nypd-spit-pride-month-homophobic-20230616-tf2xlwzlejd6pfpsy62zboddza-story.html

Categories
Pedicab Scams in New York City

Times Square Restaurant Claims Defamation Campaign by New York City Pedicab Drivers

Glass House Tavern, a restaurant in Times Square, claims that New York City pedicab drivers engaged in a defamation campaign against their business with a series of one star Google Business reviews.

The restaurant claims that the pedicab drivers are retaliating after they posted a sign demonstrating that the pedicab drivers in New York City charge $9 per minute and they scam their passengers.

The restaurant claims that the pedicab drivers left around 40 one star Google business reviews. Here are some of those reviews posted on their Google business page:

Alleged Defamation Campaign by New York City Pedicab Drivers
Alleged Defamation Campaign by New York City Pedicab Drivers

The restaurant posted on Instagram requesting help against this organized attack by the New York City pedicab drivers:

Glass House Tavern asking for support against the defamation campaign by the New York City pedicab drivers
Glass House Tavern asking for support against the defamation campaign by the New York City pedicab drivers

For more information, please visit the article by Playbill:

https://playbill.com/article/broadway-eatery-glass-house-tavern-targeted-with-negative-reviews-following-dispute-with-pedicab-drivers

Categories
Information

How much are pedicabs in New York City?

PEDICAB RATES IN NEW YORK CITY

There are no legally set rates for pedicabs in New York City as the law allows the pedicab drivers to charge how much ever they want as long the driver complies with the legal requirements.

The pedicab drivers illegally charge $7 to $9 per minute per ride. They scam the clueless tourists and the New York City government has been hands off on this issue since 2009.  

According to the local New York City laws, 1) rates for pedicab rides are calculated per minute per pedicab and 2) it is illegal for a pedicab driver to charge per passenger or additional fees or taxes.

ON DEMAND RIDES VERSUS SCHEDULED RIDES

If you are booking a pedicab with an online or offline pedicab business, that is a scheduled ride or tour.

If you are hiring a pedicab on the spot in New York City, that is an on demand pedicab ride or tour.

With a scheduled ride, the driver has to stop looking for other customers (hail rides) on the street one hour prior to the scheduled time. That one hour wait time is usually reflected on the rates posted by the pedicab businesses online or offline.

With an on demand ride, the driver does not have any time loss.

Despite the fact that the on demand rides should be cheaper than the scheduled rides, the pedicab industry in New York City is filled with scammers who overcharge passengers illegally and the industry’s reputation has been bad since 2009.

PEDICAB SCAMS IN NEW YORK CITY

If you were scammed by a pedicab driver in New York City, please, read all the information and file complaints with the government agencies stated at the link below:

https://newyorkpedicabservices.com/pedicab-scams-in-new-york-city.html

HOW MUCH DOES NEW YORK PEDICAB SERVICES CHARGE?

If you stopped New York Pedicab Services for a Point A to B ride on the street, New York Pedicab Services would not charge you more than $2 per minute per ride.

CONCLUSION

Do not hire a random pedicab driver in New York City because you risk getting scammed by a shadow driver with no online presence. Instead, contact New York Pedicab Services, receive a full quote from New York Pedicab Services, make an informed decision and book a scheduled ride or tour with New York Pedicab Services with no surprises.

Categories
Central Park Pedicabs

Central Park Pedicab Rides with New York Pedicab Services

Categories
Government

New York City Pedicab Lottery 2022

On November 14, 2022, New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Agency announced that the agency will accept applications for the 2022 pedicab lottery from November 14, 2022 to December 13, 2022.

All interested applicants can apply by submitting a completed application to pedicabs@dcwp.nyc.gov .

Pedicab Registration Plate Lottery 2022 NoticeDownload
Categories
News

Two Pedicab Drivers Got into Fight – NY Post

On July 14, 2022, two pedicab drivers got into a verbal argument near Empire State Building. One of them hit the other with an unknown object and caused injuries.

https://nypost.com/2022/08/12/nyc-pedicab-drivers-get-into-scuffle-suspect-being-sought/