Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Port Authority to launch blitz against taxi scammers at NYC airports ahead of World Cup
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 9, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Bess Adler / Gothamist
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 9, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Port Authority plans to flood the city's airports with police officers ahead of the World Cup to flush out unlicensed taxi scammers who notoriously overcharge tourists for illegal cab rides.
The agency’s leaders announced a new $100 million initiative called “Operation Legal Ride” on Tuesday morning, four days before MetLife Stadium hosts its first of eight World Cup matches.
Illegal taxi drivers, often known as “hustlers,” have for decades preyed on unsuspecting tourists at the city’s transportation hubs, primarily the airports. In many cases, they lure travelers into their cars, and charge them hundreds of dollars more than what is legally allowed.
Port Authority data shows the problem has been growing in recent years. The agency’s police department issued 2,602 summons for illegal taxi solicitation in 2025, almost double from the previous year.
Hustling at the city’s airports has grown more sophisticated in recent years, with scammers coordinating at terminals in a system that uses illegal dispatchers carrying walkie-talkies to funnel tourists into fake cabs waiting outside.
Gothamist highlighted the problem in a series of stories earlier this year. Now, Port Authority officials say they have a plan to aggressively solve the issue.
The agency plans to deploy 50 more police officers alongside 20 additional Taxi and Limousine Commission employees to Newark, LaGuardia and JFK airports. Police officers will pilot new technology that detects persistent hustlers and track their license plates to coordinate faster enforcement, agency officials said.
The Port Authority plans to work with the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure scammers busted driving illegal cabs also get points added to their license, which could lead to them losing their driving privileges.
“Taxi hustlers target vulnerable travelers, first-time visitors, and non-English speakers, by taking advantage of unfamiliar surroundings for those who are new to our region or country,” Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said in a statement. “This multijurisdictional problem requires a multipronged solution.”
The number of taxi scammers at the airports threatens to embarrass local officials ahead of the World Cup, when thousands of international tourists are expected to visit New York City for the first time.
Taxi drivers, JFK employees and even the hustlers themselves have estimated there are around 500 illegal drivers in JFK Airport’s terminals.
The Port Authority said an analysis of “millions of vehicle arrival records across the agency’s regional airports” found that illegal solicitation is taking place overwhelmingly by a similar group of drivers. The City Council also released a report on Monday highlighting the issue of scam taxis.
The Port Authority’s new policy will direct the agency’s police officers to immediately arrest a hustler if they’re operating a vehicle at the airports with a suspended license, rather than give them a summons. Hustlers who get their cars impounded for solicitation will have to pay a new increased fee of $594.90 to retrieve their vehicle.
The Port Authority announced plans to increase its collaboration with the Taxi and Limousine Commission to ensure fines against taxi summonses are enforced in the city’s administrative court, rather than in civil court.
The Port Authority has also launched in-flight announcements on inbound planes warning passengers of taxi scams and distributed signs at the airport terminals in more than 10 languages reminding passengers how to get a legal, licensed cab ride.
Tagged
new jersey
new york city
public safety
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
The NYPD has not publicly identified her. People who knew her said she was an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .