Everyday Taxi Business / Bribery Part

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DA: 16 Kennedy Airport taxi dispatchers arrested in bribery scheme

from Newsday.com

Sixteen taxi dispatchers have been arrested and charged in a bribery scheme in which they solicited kickbacks from cab drivers who were then allowed to cut lines at Kennedy Airport, bypassing long waits for fares, authorities said Wednesday.
The arrests were announced by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and Port Authority Inspector General Robert E. Van Etten, who said the dispatchers were all employed by subcontractor Gateway Group One Frontline Services.
The scam allegedly allowed drivers to "cut the line" -- moving them ahead of honest drivers, who were forced to wait in holding lots where they were queued for passenger pickups -- by paying dispatchers bribes of a few dollars, Brown said in a statement Wednesday.
With thousands of cabs servicing airport terminals on a daily basis, dispatchers raked in hundreds of dollars each during an eight-hour shift, Brown said. It also allowed drivers paying bribes to make many additional trips during a shift, authorities said. Authorities said the scam was in effect from December 2012 until February.
Van Etten said that Gateway and the Taxi and Limousine Commission cooperated with the criminal investigation.
In a statement released Wednesday, Gateway Group One said:

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7 Tips to Save Money on your Next Florida Vacation

Picture by Discount Taxi

by Danielle Antosz

Planning a trip to the Sunshine state may seem like the trip of a lifetime…until you start adding up the costs. Plane tickets, hotels, amusement park passes, and food for an entire family. It adds up quickly! As it turns out, you don’t need to break the bank to have an awesome Florida vacation. Here are 7 easy tips that can add up to huge savings on your next Florida vacation.

1. Consider booking a vacation home for a week instead of renting a hotel room. Besides saving money on board, a house will give you access to a kitchen so you can cook instead of eating out every meal. Or spend the day enjoying family by grilling out and soaking in the beautiful weather. Vacations shouldn’t be about cramming in as many attractions as possible. Take some time to relax and enjoy yourself without all the pressure.

2. Buy amusement park package deals. If you are heading to any of the many amusement parks in Florida, look for hotel/park ticket deals. Some parks also offer meal plans that can save you a bunch. Just make sure you consider how much you will actually use the “extras”. If you aren’t careful you could end up spending more for features you will never use.

3. Look for free attractions. There is more to Florida than our awesome malls and amusement parks. Spend a day at the beach, or find parks are in the area. There is a lot of free natural resources to enjoy in the Sunshine State.

4. Pay attention to when you book your vacation. You may think you want to visit in the summer, but you are more likely to enjoy yourself in the spring or fall seasons. Hotels and park passes cost far less during off season. Plus, you get to skip the huge crowds, the heat, and the humidity. Florida in the summer might sound fun, but it’s not. It’s hot, humid, and