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Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#11

Post by reginaldo »

jonknee wrote: post #4
Mz wrote: post #3

The scam was primarily perpetrated by a small number of drivers, with 3,000 of them overcharging more than 100 times, the agency said. While the 1.8 million overcharged trips is a large number, it represents only 0.5 percent of the 361 million taxi trips taken during the 26-month period the agency studied. Given the tiny percentage, I think calling it a "scam" is a bit over the top. Who doesn't make an occasional mis…

The "innocent mistake" primarily consisted of a small number of drivers who did it more than 100 times... That's pretty telling. If it was a mistake why did they do it over 100 times? The rules are pretty simple and no cabbie mistakenly thinks they are in Westchester when they are on Park Ave. It's quite obviously a scam, but not one that all NYC cabbies perpetrated.

I think 100 times in a period of 2 years is not so much, is it? 2 years is approx. 100 weeks of work. So 100 mistakes would merely mean about 1 overcharge per week. I'd only suspect the drivers that were overcharging more than once a day.

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#12

Post by andrewcooke »

sliverstorm wrote: post #8
oldgregg wrote: post #6

And we all wondered why they so adamantly opposed having GPS installed...

No. No, we didn't wonder. We knew and they knew.

i don't see how that makes sense. the fraction of drivers doing this, according to the report, is small. so if there was a popular objection then it must also have included people (a majority) who don't do this.

perhaps people simply value privacy, even while doing their job.

[also - note how the bad behaviour of a minority is being used to justify the loss of privacy by the majority; this happens again and again]

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#14

Post by mhb »

Mz wrote: post #3

The scam was primarily perpetrated by a small number of drivers, with 3,000 of them overcharging more than 100 times, the agency said. While the 1.8 million overcharged trips is a large number, it represents only 0.5 percent of the 361 million taxi trips taken during the 26-month period the agency studied. Given the tiny percentage, I think calling it a "scam" is a bit over the top. Who doesn't make an occasional mis…

What is the value of the "mistakes" made by cabbies undercharging Westchester travelers with the Manhattan rate?

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#15

Post by jfager »

andrewcooke wrote: post #12
sliverstorm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. No, we didn't wonder. We knew and they knew.

i don't see how that makes sense. the fraction of drivers doing this, according to the report, is small. so if there was a popular objection then it must also have included people (a majority) who don't do this. perhaps people simply value privacy, even while doing their job. [also - note how the bad behaviour of a minority is being used to justify the loss of privacy by the majority; this happens again and again]

Why would a cab driver have an expectation that his location be private when driving people around in a cab? That makes no sense.

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#16

Post by jfager »

Mz wrote: post #7
jonknee wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "innocent mistake" primarily consisted of a small number of drivers who did it more than 100 times... That's pretty telling. If it was a mistake why did they do it over 100 times? The rules are pretty simple and no cabbie mistakenly thinks they are in Westchester when they are on Park Ave. It's quite obviously a scam, but not one that all NYC cabbies perpetrated.

I already acknowledged that some cases are pretty clearly not just human error. And I haven't really been to New York (drove through there on the way to the Boston area once), so I don't really know firsthand. However, the cliche is that New York cabbies are typically foreign and speak poor English. So I have a little difficulty thinking that they all are perfectly clear about every detail of their jobs and there are…

Foreign and speak poor English != stupid. I've had very few cabbies who didn't clearly know what they were doing, regardless of whether I could understand them or not. And the idea that they don't know the geography? What is it, exactly, that you think cab drivers do?

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#17

Post by andrewcooke »

jfager wrote: post #15
andrewcooke wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i don't see how that makes sense. the fraction of drivers doing this, according to the report, is small. so if there was a popular objection then it must also have included people (a majority) who don't do this. perhaps people simply value privacy, even while doing their job. [also - note how the bad behaviour of a minority is being used to justify the loss of privacy by the majority; this happens again and again]

Why would a cab driver have an expectation that his location be private when driving people around in a cab? That makes no sense.

you really think the customer knowing a driver's location, or someone seeing them go past on the street, is the same as a centralised record?

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#18

Post by jfager »

andrewcooke wrote: post #17
jfager wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a cab driver have an expectation that his location be private when driving people around in a cab? That makes no sense.

you really think the customer knowing a driver's location, or someone seeing them go past on the street, is the same as a centralised record?

Not at all, when did I say that? I said it makes no sense to think a cab driver has any reasonable expectation that the location of his cab would be private in any sense when it's in service and carrying passengers.

As a frequent cab rider, I'm happy to know that the location of the stranger's car that I just jumped into is tracked and recorded at all times.

Why do you think this information should be kept private?

Re: Analysis of GPS logs uncovers multimillion $ NYC cab scam

#20

Post by tedunangst »

andrewcooke wrote: post #12
sliverstorm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. No, we didn't wonder. We knew and they knew.

i don't see how that makes sense. the fraction of drivers doing this, according to the report, is small. so if there was a popular objection then it must also have included people (a majority) who don't do this. perhaps people simply value privacy, even while doing their job. [also - note how the bad behaviour of a minority is being used to justify the loss of privacy by the majority; this happens again and again]

There's also the drivers who would get paid in cash and "forget" to record the fare. And various other ploys (lot harder to take out of towners around the block six times when they're watching the GPS map).

Also, popular objection doesn't strictly mean a majority. It means the head of the Taxi Worker Alliance objected. And like any union boss, his motivations aren't strictly inline with what's best for the all workers.

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