The city has failed to collect $97 million in fines it has levied over the past 13 years on commuter vans, livery cabs and other vehicles regulated by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, an audit by Comptroller Bill Thompson has found
“By failing to employ rigorous collection efforts to ensure that fines are collected, the TLC sends a message of indifference toward and tolerance of consistent infractions of the rules,” Thompson said yesterday.
Out of the 341 licenses Thompson’s office examined, 69 were approved or renewed without having outstanding fines paid, the audit found.
The vast majority of the fines owed did not apply to medallion cabs, officials said. The commission also regulates livery cabs, commuter vans, limos and ambulettes.
TLC officials said the comptroller’s office didn’t understand the data and said no deadbeat has received a renewed license.
“The vast bulk is for unlicensed people and for people that never held a TLC license. People who provided false names and false addresses,” said Allan Fromberg, the TLC deputy commissioner.
“We have a very serious plan to address the issue of uncollected debt from unlicensed liveries and that is to do it legislatively.”
Fromberg said the Bloomberg administration has been trying to get a state law passed that would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend license plates of cars that owe the TLC money but don’t hold TLC licenses.
TLC officials agreed and are going to implement several changes but said those were minor compared to the charges Thompson found.