They’re hell on wheels.
Out-of-control pedicab drivers have been terrorizing tourists and locals across Manhattan, taking over city streets, yelling abuse at passersby, and even sexually assaulting their own customers, victims, employees and drivers, The Washington Post reported.
Over the past few years, drivers have become increasingly lawless, blasting loud music, charging exorbitant fares, fighting with customers and launching cartel-like attacks against competitors.
“They’re like piranhas who are only interested in making money, and they prey on tourists, guests and children,” Ralph Mendez, a doorman at the Sheraton Hotel on Seventh Avenue near Times Square, told The Washington Post.
“They’re nice because they want something,” he added. “As soon as you say you don’t want it, they’re totally against you.”
It was a nightmare for two Upper East Side women enjoying a fun night out at a Midtown club when they encountered a piranha, who pestered them for a “free ride” home until they agreed.
One terrified victim told The Washington Post this week that as soon as the women climbed into the bike taxi, the driver jumped into the back seat, groped both women and kicked them out of the vehicle when they resisted.
“It just felt like he was in the right place at the right time, just like a predator,” said a 22-year-old man who was one of the victims who reported the Aug. 4 incident to police.
“It was just convenient for him to be outside a club at 3:30 a.m. and give girls a ride home when they’re drunk. It just seemed like something he did all the time.”
She continued: “I felt like I’d been duped. It’s the worst feeling. I was shocked that it happened but I blame it on myself because I was stupid and naive.”
This incident is just one example of a pattern of nuisance disruption caused by bike taxis across the city:
- In May, a horse-drawn carriage driver was surrounded by six pedicab drivers after he asked them not to wash their bikes in a Central Park fountain where horses regularly drink, the driver and the NYPD said. The hotheaded man allegedly punched the 51-year-old carriage driver, who gave only his first name, Yalcin.
- Pedicabby driver We had a fistfight A shocking video of the incident showed three passengers fighting over a fare near the Empire State Building in June.
- A foul-mouthed cyclist caught on a nearby camera The video shows a man calling carriage driver Jill Adamski a “filthy bitch” and an “Irish slut” in Central Park on August 12. The assailant then raises his hand and threatens to hit another man who was recording the ugly altercation.
- According to police sources, in May 2023, a pedicab driver in Midtown randomly spat in a woman’s face after the men in his vehicle called a transgender woman a “tranny.” The 27-year-old driver was arrested and charged with harassment.
- Glass House Tavern said After putting up signs warning patrons near a theater on West 47th Street about the drivers’ exorbitant fees, bike taxi drivers launched a coordinated campaign to hurt the establishment’s sales with a barrage of one-star reviews on Google. “Recently, the drivers have become aggressive and verbally abusive towards staff,” the bar said at the time.
“They think this is like a Third World country. There are no laws here. They think, ‘We can do anything,'” Yalcin said. “They feel like they’re the bigwigs here, the big mafia.”
Such lawless behavior is reflected in a sharp increase in pedicab-related criminal citations so far this year, with police issuing 1,493 citations for violations through June 30, a 51.5% increase from the 985 issued during the same period in 2023, according to NYPD data.
Consumer complaints likewise increased by 56.7%, with a total of 94 reports reported by Aug. 12, compared to just 60 reports recorded in the same period in 2023, according to 311 data.
Drivers often deck out their vehicles with flashy decorations – lights, stuffed toys and speakers blasting pop music – and target tourists who want to record their rides and post them on social media.
The casual trip has become one of the city’s most expensive tourist attractions, with pedicab drivers exacting exorbitant (but legal) fares from unsuspecting customers, usually listed on a small fare card and in some cases as much as $25 per minute.
“If I have guests here, I tell them, ‘Ask me the price before you get in,’ and I get dirty looks from the driver,” said Mendez, a doorman at the Sheraton Hotel, recalling one hotel guest who was shocked to learn that a bike taxi ride from 34th Street would cost $140.
At the Hilton Hotel near West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, the doorman estimated that 15 pedicab cabs park in front of the building every day, playing loud “music battles” over blaring speakers and yelling at pedestrians to buy a ticket for a ride.
“They’re constantly trying to get attention from tourists and guests,” the doorman said. “They’re yelling, they’re making big fussing, they’re doing everything.”
On Wednesday, The Post observed 12 aggressive pedicab drivers near Central Park South, yelling at families with children and chasing pedestrians in an attempt to pick up customers.
“Hey, ladies, look like you need a ride,” one person whistled, brandishing a laminated page listing astronomical prices.
“It’s fun,” exclaimed another. “It’s cheap, so give it a go.”
That same afternoon, numerous pedicab drivers were seen around Midtown repeatedly running red lights, cutting into queues of bicycles and taking their eyes off the road to take selfies with their passengers.
“They have no respect for drivers or traffic rules,” said Mario Chauchi, a 43-year-old motorist whose side mirror was smashed by the quad biker.
“They always pull over to the side of the road and get in front of you.”
And there is violence within their own ranks.
The drivers, mostly from Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan and Uzebekistan, use mob-like tactics to chase off competitors and anyone they suspect of encroaching on their turf.
“If they feel they shouldn’t be working on their street corners, they slash tires, they attack people, they beat people,” said a 53-year-old cyclist, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.
“They run that corner like it’s theirs,” he said.
Industry sources told The Post that the lawlessness has been fuelled by a post-pandemic proliferation of fake DCWP licenses and number plates needed to operate pedicab vehicles in the city.
One transportation company estimates that 60 percent of pedicab drivers, or about 1,500 drivers, are cruising the city with fake DCWP licenses.
“If there is no accountability, then people will behave differently,” said the 46-year-old transporter, who explained that authorities’ lax efforts to crack down on fraudulent documentation are encouraging fraud.
Stephanie Vásquez-Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, which oversees inspections of licensed pedicabs, encouraged people to report any illegal activity, including harassment, to police.
In December, police seized 77 illegal bike taxis in Midtown. City Councilman Eric Bottcher (D-Manhattan) I wrote a letter As complaints surged, the agency, along with DCWP and the Department of Environmental Protection, called on the NYPD to crack down more heavily on pedicabs.
“The impact of pedicabs, particularly in connection with Broadway theaters, residential neighborhoods, and tourist experiences, has prompted calls for immediate action to better monitor and regulate these vehicles,” wrote politicians who serve the Midtown district.
An NYPD spokesman said the department has received complaints about pedicabs “particularly around the Empire State Building.”
“As a result, we have increased enforcement in these areas, including targeted investigations during matinee show hours,” the spokesperson said. “This enforcement, which we are working with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, includes checking pedicab licenses and registrations. This year, the NYPD has impounded more than 100 pedicab vehicles as a result of enforcement and investigations.”
Those who know the drivers best aren’t sure the crackdown will change the Wild West culture.
“They don’t answer to anyone,” said the veteran pedicab driver.
