> the standard, clean, regulated experience I have every time I jump into a yellow or green cab
Huh, haven't been in one where the driver wasn't on the phone in ages. Two weeks ago, my black friend was refused pick-up. Brooklyn-based friends are regularly refused transport. At least the credit card machine broken trick stopped a few years ago.
> Every single one of those things is illegal, and can be reported
Yet they're still common. I've reported them, and occasionally there's a fine, but at a certain point the cost of constantly reporting outweighs the benefit. It doesn't help that the TLC is a political position with the same financial conflicts of interests as the City Councilman who presented this bill [1].