Dozens Of MTA Workers Caught Driving Cars For Extra Cash

NEW YORK — Three dozen MTA workers broke ethics and safety rules by driving for-hire vehicles to earn some cash, an independent probe found.

Five of the workers were fired, 26 got suspensions and four retired or resigned after the MTA Inspector General's Office discovered they had side jobs as for-hire drivers without permission from the transit agency, according to a wide-ranging report the office released Wednesday.

The group included 31 bus drivers and five subway operators who moonlighted as cabbies from June 2017 to January 2018, the report says. Twenty of those who were punished drove at times that prevented them from getting eight straight hours of rest before their shifts — with one bus driver running on as little as two and a half hours of down time, investigators found.

Another 184 bus drivers with Taxi and Limousine Commission licenses to drive for-hire vehicles "presented a risk of engaging in similar behavior and committing similar violations," the report says. The IG's office also found 31 subway operators with TLC licenses besides those who broke the rules, according to the report.

While he acknowledged the importance of the rules that workers broke, Transport Workers Union Local 100 spokesperson Jim Gannon said the aggressive disciplinary action against them "seems a little over the top."

"No one’s stealing money," said Gannon, who said most of the employees involved are back at work. "It’s just guys who were just out there trying to make a few extra dollars to make ends meet, as far as we see it."

MTA rules restrict the second jobs that transit workers can hold, according to the IG's office. Subway and bus operators would not be allowed to work any side gig that involves driving a vehicle because of the "safety-sensitive restrictions and public-safety impact of their employment," the report says.

The IG's office says it launched the probe in response to the explosion of Uber, Lyft and other ride-hail companies in the city. Investigators analyzed the TLC's trip data and New York City Transit records to determine how many employees had for-hire vehicle licenses and which ones drove during the relevant time period, according to the report.

The scope of the workers' side jobs varied widely — one bus driver made just 18 trips while another logged 337, the IG's office found.

They also received a wide range of punishments. Some got final warnings after serving suspensions while their disciplinary cases proceeded, but others lost their jobs or were forced to step down, according to the report.

The IG's office advised MTA officials to remind bus operators with TLC licenses that using them on the side could lead to discipline. The office also said the agency should refresh workers on the dual employment policy through training, announcements and other reminders.

The MTA is working to implement those and other recommendations that the IG put forward, according to a spokesman for the agency.

"We’re pleased to see these reports released and, as they are from 2018, have already implemented or are in the process of implementing the recommendations they contain," Max Young, the MTA's chief external affairs officer, said in a statement. "We will continue to collaborate closely with the Inspector General’s office to root out waste, fraud and abuse."

Gannon said transit workers generally know the rules and noted that the report involves a tiny fraction of the thousands of bus drivers his union represents.

"We’re talking about a very, very small percentage of the people who might be doing this for Lyft or Uber or whatever," he said.