Man takes $900 cab ride from NYC to upstate New York

Associated Press ^ | 08/08/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

WELLSVILLE, N.Y. -- A man who took a cab more than 200 miles from New York City to western New York didn't get very far after he tried to stiff the driver for $916.50 fare.

Police say 23-year-old Jeremy Hartman got out of the cab in the village of Wellsville, where he has relatives, and fled. Police say they found him holed up in a nearby apartment.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Geez... buy a bus ticket.

[martin_fierro]

Police say 23-year-old Jeremy Hartman got out of the cab in the village of Wellsville, where he has relatives, and fled.

How unfare.

[nothingnew]

Not the brightest of cab drivers IMHO. Maybe the info here is scant, but on long distance cab rides, there's ways to cover your fare payment.

FMCDH

[KellyAdmirer]

To be honest, I'm surprised it was that cheap. They usually double the fare for trips out of the city, too.

[RightWhale]

They usually double the fare for trips out of the city

Have to pay both ways because there won't be a fare coming back.

[Riley]

I did this kind of work once, years ago. Monster fares happen every once in a while.

Biggest one I ever had was a lady who wanted me to take her out-of-town to her church, and insisted that I wait in the parking lot, with the meter running, while she attended services. Several hours later, the meter was displaying a really impressive figure, for a cab fare!

I have lots of weird stories out of that business...

[ErnBatavia]

I used to do a lot of business with Las Vegas people...On and right after 9/11 I heard that several taxis took people back to Los Angeles - mostly after the used car lots got quickly depleted of inventory.

[cinFLA]

Several hours later, the meter was displaying a really impressive figure, for a cab fare!

We want the rest of the story. Did she ever come back out?

[new cruelty]

Yes, lol, I was wondering the same thing.

[Riley]

I remember hearing about that.

I don't miss that business one bit. It was interesting sometimes- you were really plugged in to what was happeneing in the community, but you were also a commission-only independent contractor. I figured my average take-home was about two and a half bucks an hour.

[Riley]

We want the rest of the story. Did she ever come back out?

She certainly did, and she did pay. I had to refuse numerous calls while I was waiting. Every fifteen minutes or so I'd hear, "One-Seven, are you clear yet"?

She came out (I guess between the service and fellowship) to check that I was still there. I had to leave post briefly to find a men's room, but I waited for the rest of it. It was probably about three hours.