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/