The New York Post reports that, in 2013, 51 taxi drivers lost their licenses after testing positive for drugs. That’s a significant increase from 2012 (when only 20 did) and 2011 (when 34 did). According to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, 16 have been busted so far in 2014, putting us on track to beat last year’s record. The somewhat-comforting news? Taxi and Limousine Commission spokesperson Allan Fromberg points out that there are more than 108,000 licensed cabbies, meaning that “the number of positive drug tests is statistically incredibly small.”
So, despite their frequent disregard for speed limits, occasionally impossible-to-follow small talk, poor route choices, and the highly animated conversations they conduct via headset while working, the vast majority of cabbies do not do drugs — or they are at least smart and/or lucky enough to have not indulged right before their drug test.
