So, let’s say you want to take a cab back to Brooklyn from Manhattan and you get in and the driver refuses to take you. What do you do? (Other than get into an argument with the driver or get out of the cab muttering.) It’s probably happened at least once to everyone. A GL reader filed a report about what happened when he decided to pursue an incident with the Taxi and Limousine Commission:

My wife and I live in Cobble Hill. Late on a Saturday night several weeks ago, we got in a cab to go home from a night out in the Lower East Side. The driver refused to take us to Brooklyn. For whatever reason I decided not to let it slide and the next day I filed a complaint with the TLC. I pursued the complaint by attending a hearing at which the driver was found guilty. He had to pay a $200 fine.

I know most everyone who lives in Brooklyn has dealt with cab drivers who won’t take fares to the outer boroughs. In going through the formal complaint process, I realized why they think they can get away with it – it seems like a pain to pursue a complaint. You have to attend a hearing. The driver will be right there next to you. The hearing could get heated. But for me it was worth it to get the violation addressed.

In the end, I only spent about 2 hours away from work (including travel and waiting time) at a hearing. It wasn’t pleasant but it wasn’t terrible, and it made me feel good to know that I was doing my part to make sure that the rules were being applied fairly. If other riders did the same thing, word might get out that cabbies can’t get away with refusing service to Brooklyn anymore.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Know the Passenger’s Bill of Rights.
2. If any of these rights are violated during your ride, make a note of the situation:
1. What happened
2. When
3. Where
4. Who was with you
5. Who was the driver (name and medallion number)
3. As soon as possible, file a complaint. You can do this online at the TLC website. You can also file the complaint by calling 311.

4. After a few days the TLC will send you a letter to confirm your complaint and ask you to request a time for a hearing. If you want to bring any witnesses (I didn’t) you need to contact the TLC and get them on the list of attendees well ahead of time.

After you request a time for the hearing, they will send you another letter with a specific date and time on it. Save this letter – it is your “admission ticket” to the hearing.

5. The hearing be at 40 Rector St., near Wall St. I was surprised – the office building and TLC hearing offices were actually pretty nice. There’s a simple security check in the lobby, then you go to the TLC offices on the 8th floor. You give your letter to the receptionist and wait in a special room that is separate from the room where the drivers wait. One thing that bothered me was that there wasn’t really any security (at least that I could see) in the offices where the hearings took place. Given that the hearing is at least somewhat like a trial, and that the drivers can receive fairly stiff penalties, I imagine that sometimes people might lose their tempers. I didn’t see any security they had in place to deal with that possibility.

6. Your hearing should start within 30 minutes of the time on your letter. In the room will be the judge, the driver (if he shows up), and you. Witnesses and observers are also allowed. The hearing goes like this: You are both sworn in. The complainant makes a statement. The respondent (driver) cross examines you. The driver makes a statement. You cross examine him. The judge can interrupt and ask questions at any time.

7. Once it’s over, the judge will ask you to write your name and address on an envelope. After you leave he’ll type up the verdict and send you a copy. If the driver is found guilty, he has to pay any fines right then and there.

All in all, it’s not such a bad process. You can’t expect the city to fine a driver based on your complaint alone. The hearing process is fair and relatively quick and painless. In the end it was worth it to me to get see justice be done – not only for me, but for all the other people who have to deal with cab drivers who break the rules.