I-Team: Cab riders' gripes, drivers exposed

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The I-Team uncovered serious complaints about cabbies and tracked down some of the people behind the wheel. But there is something you can do to fight back.

Getting a bad cab driver off the road can be just a phone call away. In fact, the city receives thousands of complaints every year.

The I-Team found that some of them are for physical assault and almost half are about dangerous and reckless driving. Some of the drivers in question say the city is out to get them.

When you hail one of the city's 6,600 licensed cabs, you may not know what to expect when that meter starts.

So the I-Team read through three months of recent cab complaints, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, from the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

"We get 12,000 complaints a year," said Jeffrey Lewelling, BACP First Deputy Commissioner.

One cab number with the most complaints: 6011. There were eight complaints, some for being rude, others for reckless driving and one which alleged verbal assault.

The I-Team confirmed that the driver of that cab in at least six of the eight complaints was Walli Afzali.

After our inquiry, the city said his chauffeur license was being temporarily suspended because of "15 violations," which include refusing a credit card payment, smoking, verbal abuse and reckless driving.

Afzali agreed to meet with the I-Team downtown in a public space, but then changed his mind and ran into a random cab.

Off camera he denies the allegations, saying the system is not fair and he looks forward to getting back to work to support his family.

Affzali is not the only cab driver getting serious complaints.

The I-Team found that 48 percent, or about 1,400 of them, were about reckless driving. And in just three months, there were 28 total complaints of physical assault.

"Yes that is concerning and we rely on people to report that,' Lewelling said.

If a cab driver is convicted of a criminal complaint, his license can be revoked.

The I-Team found one man driving what the city calls an illegitimate cab, called a "HELLO" instead of a yellow cab. The fake number, 305-68, has a 5th extra digit. Chicago cabs only have up to four. In our data, that cab had eight complaints, some of reckless driving.

The BACP says the driver is Deny Quinonez, who has paid thousands of dollars in fines.

We left business cards for him, but never heard back.

Edward Nartey owns cab number 1637, which had seven complaints in our sample. One was for driving while on a cell phone.

I-Team's Jason Knowles: "When I called you were on your cell phone, driving and talking to a customer.Nartey: "And what did I tell you? I told you I as with a customer and driving, so I said let me call you back."

Nartey only admits to being in the cab he owns during two of the complaints and introduced us to George Okaiteye, who admits to driving cab "1637" during the other times in question. Some of the complaints were for reckless driving.

"It is not fair it is not fair!" Okaiteye screamed.

Okaiteye says required city signs encourage passengers to make frivolous claims.

The BACP says the complaint process keeps passengers safe, and that drivers are also checked out annually. They look at criminal and driving records, red light cam tickets and the vehicle's condition.

Drivers are also drug tested and must pass a physical.

For clarification, cabs must always accept a credit card, on an approved, mounted device, not a smartphone.

And they can never be on the phone while driving, not even on a hands-free device.

If you want to file a cab complaint you can call 311. You can also file a compliment.