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SAN DIEGO—
The board of the Metropolitan Transit System is
scheduled to meet Thursday to consider tougher penalties for drivers and cab
companies that fail to meet agency regulations.The agency regulates taxis in El Cajon, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Poway and Santee, but the proposed penalties apply only in San Diego, where problems have arisen lately, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
If approved, the proposed penalties would give MTS inspectors the leeway to revoke vehicle and driver permits for violations that currently draw only a warning or brief suspension.
Regulators want to make sure that cab drivers' vehicles, licenses and identification cards meet all the requirements. John Scott, Metropolitan Transit System taxicab administration manager, said in a recent field inspection, 85 percent of the taxicabs inspected were ordered to be immediately taken out of service.
"Tires are the biggest thing by far. Most of the vehicles had bald tires or bad tires," Scott said.
MTS inspectors found 144 safety violations in San Diego between January 2008 and February 2009, with bald tires, unsecured seats and faulty lights among the most common. An additional 56 violations were found during spot checks from March through June.
For their part, some cab drivers say the penalties are going way to far.
"All they do is give us tickets. They don't help us out or anything, they just give us tickets," said Yellow Cab driver Augustine Hodoyan
Regulators said they don't know if the economy is to blame for all of the cab problems, but they say the drivers and company owners have to keep their cars up to safe standards.
"There's no excuse for putting a vehicle out there in an unsafe fashion. It not only jeopardizes passengers, drivers, but other pedestrians and other drivers as well, it's unacceptable," Scott said.
