New York’s pedicabs, loathed for menacing pedestrians and clogging traffic, are now imposing a new scourge on the city: ripping off riders. Big time.
As The Post’s Jennifer Fermino reported Monday, driver Savas Avci allegedly forced one family to cough up more than $400 for a 12-minute ride, after promising to charge just $1 a block.
It’s a simple scam: When the ride’s over, he adds on exorbitant hidden fees, demanding an extra $100 for each passenger.
And you can bet he’s not the only pedicab driver pulling this stunt. Under current law, after all, pedihacks can post their rates in any sneaky way they want — and they do.
It’s time for the city to end these ripoffs.
A few years ago, The Post led a successful campaign to ramp up policing of pedicabs; a new law required drivers to state fares before a ride. But the rickshaw racketeers post fees in tiny print. Unwary riders never see them — until it’s too late.
Now, we’re usually wary of new business regulations, especially when the City Council dreams them up.
But this situation is way out of control.
Riders deserve to understand — clearly, in advance — how much they’ll have to pay.
Even now, as The Post reports today, officials can act: Avci has been charging riders “tax,” on top of his other rates. Yet neither the state nor the city taxes pedicab rides.
The city’s Department of Consumer Affairs asked the state to investigate.
Good. But how many other drivers are doing the same thing? Someone needs to find out. And prosecute.
New Yorkers pay a steep price for these three-wheeled nightmares — not just because they may get fleeced by them, but also because the city’s international rep takes a whopping blow when tourists are gouged.
Officials need to crack down. Now.