Atlanta's cab drivers under scrutiny

 
Date: 2001-12-16

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Most Atlanta cab drivers have good driving records, but Jacob Eze Ananaba is one of the worst. "He's the poster child for somebody who should [have his permit] revoked," John Turner, the chief hearing officer for the city's taxi court, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During his 11 years as an Atlanta cab driver he's had three license suspensions, scores of moving violations, at least four traffic accidents and several counts of verbally abusing passengers and inflating fares.

After almost two decades of wrangling between the city's hospitality industry and the taxi industry, the problem remains. Using the state's Open Records Act, Journal-Constitution reporters were able to match 95 percent of Atlanta's taxicab drivers to their driving and criminal histories and found that only 121 of the city's 2,860 taxicab drivers whose records were examined had spotless driving histories. Seventy-two percent of the drivers had a serious violation on his or her personal or professional driving record, ranging from excessive speed to DUI. In the past seven years, 622 taxicab drivers have had their licenses suspended, including 94 who currently have a suspended driver's license.

The article summarized above is one of a series of three to be published by the Atlanta newspaper over the next few days, detailing problems with Atlanta's cab industry.

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