Bandit taxi cab crack down results

There have been 537 arrests, 578 citations issued and 246 car impoundments related to bandit taxi cab drivers from January through June, LAPD and city officials announced Wednesday.

The city has cracked down on these drivers who operate cabs without taxi licenses and often without driver's licenses let alone car insurance. It's estimated that the city loses about $2 million annually on these unlicensed cabs that do not pay the $90 a month franchise fees that regulated cabs do.

Heavily operating in immigrant communities, these drivers often provide rides to people without cars and can help with running errands. But at the same time, they can be a menace to passengers and others on the road, since no one is watching them and, well, anything could happen. In other cases, taxi drivers licensed to work in some parts of town come in to other areas where they're not licensed and work anyway. In the end, they all take away work from regulated cab drivers who follow the rules.