Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) was furious to learn of the shoddy treatment of a local charity volunteer at the hands an over-zealous agent of New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission. Yeshaya Liebowitz, a volunteer driver for the organization Chesed-which takes local residents to and from hospitals at no cost and relies upon volunteer drivers-was transporting two Brooklyn women to separate hospitals when he was stopped by an agent of the TLC. Despite his explanation that no fees had been charged for his service, his passengers were made to exit his vehicle and his car was impounded. The summons he received-which carries a penalty up to $2000-states that the agent observed him “picking up two females who called a dispatcher for a car to pick them up. I confirmed this with passengers before car came to pick them up about destintion [sic] and fare.”
But a fare was neither discussed nor accepted.
“I am familiar with this organization,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “They do amazing work and are manned by volunteers whose only goal is to get elderly or otherwise infirmed people to and from hospitals and doctors’ appointment. The Taxi and Limousine Commission does important work and we want them to execute their jobs faithfully, but no one needs an over-zealous agent harassing innocent people and falsifying a summons. That is outrageous.”
The Assemblyman said he had reached out to the Commissioner’s office at the TLC and was working to resolve the matter. “I want to thank Yanky Meyer, head of Misaskim, for bringing this important matter to my attention,” said the Assemblyman.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
Did they fire the AGENT?