Dear Commissioner Tinlin,

Early this morning (July 12th 4:20am) when I returned to Boston at South Station, Medallion Number 1107 of Independent Cab refused to take me to my home which near North Station.
When I got in his car, he turned on the meter but refused to drive. He rolled the window down to complain to the other drivers that I was not going far enough to make a good fare. When I asked him again to take me to North Station, he yelled at me and told me to get out of the cab. I had to take another cab AND give directions, because the second driver was "new" and pretended not to know how to get from South Station to North Station.

This is unacceptible. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Ive had trouble, been refused service, or been driven in the wrong direction on purpose to "run the meter up." Because there is no T service from 1am to 5am in Boston, many people have to rely on taxicabs to get home during those hours. The customers should not be further penalized by drivers who refuse fares, take the scenic route to inflate the fare, or pretend not to know where important City landmarks are.

As a woman travelling alone, it also becomes a safety issue. Because of the lack of public transportation at night in Boston, I book all my return flights into Logan Airport to arrive before twelve midnight. A curfew for an adult, so that I can take the T home for $1.70, rather than a cab for a ten minute, $25 return trip into Boston.

The last time I flew into Logan Airport, on the early morning of January 6th, my plane was late and I was forced to take a cab. The driver drove me through Revere, Everett, Medford, and Somerville and ran the meter up over $50 (the fare to my home from Logan is $25). After I threatened to call the police from my cell phone, he finally drove me home to Boston. I was too angry to be frightened. However, had that driver meant to do more harm than overcharge me, there would have been no help for me out on Revere Beach Parkway at 2am.

Boston Cabdrivers recently successfully protested to raise their fares. The passengers should not be penalized further by being subjected to rude, incompetent, dangerous or dishonest drivers. Taxis are common carriers, covered by public accomodations law, and should treat every fare with respect and fairness. In my experience, this has not been the case.

Sincerely,
ChezNiki
Boston, MA