Migrant scammers are ‘hijacking’ NYC pedicab industry, licensed drivers say

Licensed city pedicab drivers fume that a flood of migrants zooming around on rogue contraptions are the ones ripping off tourists and disrupting Broadway shows — at their expense.

The angry pedalers claim their legit business has dropped by around 60% since the pandemic because of the illegal three-wheel scourges, who they said came to the Big Apple from places such as Turkey and Tajikistan during COVID.

“They’re hijacking our industry,” said New York Pedicab Alliance President and 16-year pedicab driver Makan Camara. “What we want is to make sure we have price options that fit our business so we can get [tourists’] trust back.”

The blow to business has gotten so bad that the New York Pedicab Alliance – a group of more than 200 pedicab drivers that incorporated in December to help regulate and “protect” what they call a tourist attraction – rallied on the steps of City Hall last week.

The group is demanding stricter enforcement of the rising “criminal culture.”

“We’re getting less business because of scammers,” said NYPA rep and 21-year driver Kenneth Winter. “It’s gotten a lot worse now.

“This became the new gold rush, and [the rogue drivers] take people for as much as possible. If we have no enforcement, they keep coming. 

“I used to work four days a week, but now it’s up to six or seven [days], 8 to 12 hours a day,” added Winter, 55, who said he makes about $200 a day by charging a $35 flat per-ride fare.

Despite only about 850 pedicab licenses issued by the city, the NYPA estimates that nearly twice that figure — or more than 1,500 of the three-wheeled vehicles — cater to tourists in Midtown.

The group claims it has reported price-gougers — who have been known to charge up to $1,000 per jaunt, use misleading signs and demand illegal “per person” fees — to Midtown NYPD precincts but that the cases are seldom ever prosecuted.

Predatory drivers have gotten so bold since 2020 that actors inside Broadway shows are even ad-libbing popular songs blasted by the rogue pedicabbies waiting to pounce on theatergoers outside, the NYPA said.

“The speakers are illegal already,” Winter said. “Confiscate them, especially if [their operators] don’t have a [pedicab] license.”

Winter said some tourists are getting scammed out of hundreds of dollars, also, including one victim who was charged $968 for a pedicab trip. 

The group also demanded the city legalize electric assist technology on pedicabs.

A longtime driver who goes by Frankie Legs told The Post that regularly pedaling a 700-pound passenger load without electric assist “killed me.

“We have guys who had to leave the industry and can’t do it anymore,” Winter said. “It can have many health effects, biking so much – some of us had to have knee replacements.”

At the Tuesday rally, the group also called for City Hall to regulate the sky-high price of insurance for pedicabs – which is now up to $5,000 per bike and is offered by a single Florida-based agency.

“It was $700 per bike annually before pandemic,” Winter said.

An NYPD rep told The Post that 1,851 pedicab-related summonses have been issued and 165 illegal pedicabs seized in the confines of Midtown North and South so far this year.

“The NYPD continues to conduct enforcement on pedicabs on both the precinct level and through the Community Link Initiative, which addresses chronic quality of life conditions throughout New York City,” the representative said.

A rep from City Hall told The Post, “Mayor Adams agrees that illegally operated pedicabs have no place on our streets … particularly in Central Park, where it has been a persistent issue.”

The representative said an “educational flyer” will be distributed throughout the park in the future to help tourists avoid rip-offs.

A new quality-of-life initiative – including a fleet of 1,500 officers to manage noise, vending and unlicensed pedicabs in the park — also debuted this spring, and a specialized task force is also working with Midtown Community Justice Center to identify and address repeat offenders, the mayor’s office said.