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Woman claims cabbie grabbed her breasts

May 18th, 2010

A Nashville taxi driver faces charges of sexual battery and aggravated burglary after one of his fares claimed the cabby groped her breasts.

Melaku Mengistu, 53, picked up the alleged victim early Sunday morning outside of Tribe, a bar on Church Street, after she flagged him down for a ride home, according to an arrest warrant.

When they arrived at the victim’s apartment, she said she needed to go get cash from inside and told Mengistu he could wait outside the apartment.

When she closed the door, Mengistu allegedly opened the door, walked over to the woman and grabbed her breasts through her clothing. The woman told police she gave the man a $20 bill and screamed for him to leave her apartment.

A Berry Hill police officer spotted Mengistu a short time later and arrested him as he stopped at an ATM so another fare could withdraw cash.

In an unrelated incident, Metro police reported Friday that authorities in New York City arrested another Nashville cab driver as he flew back into the U.S. from his home in Ghana, Africa.

Metro police Sex Crimes Detective Rob Carrigan identified Joseph Newton, 46, as the man who allegedly raped a 27-year-old Franklin woman after obtaining a voluntary DNA swab from Newton and interviewing him about the incident.

According to police, DNA analysis by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory linked Newton to semen recovered from the victim’s body, which allegedly happened inside Newton’s Allied cab near Hillsboro Pike and Interstate 440 early on Nov. 18, 2009.

Newton denied assaulting the victim. Police expect to return Newton to Nashville soon to face the rape charge.

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It’s time To attack the ordinance. By Rick Simpkins

April 22nd, 2010

This 2010 attempt to regulate the limousine business in Nashville, is a bad case of deja vu. The main difference between the current proposal and two previous proposed limousine ordinances, is software cut and paste use of internet sampling of onerous portions of other cities’ ordinances, as opposed five and ten years using faxed copies. This would probably be a good time to invoke that Nashville saying, “We don’t care how y’all did it up North!” To which I would add Dallas, New York City, Little Rock, etc. Two prior Transportation Commissions decided it was a bad idea for Nashville the first two times it was proposed. It is just as wrong to take it off the shelf, dust it off and try again in 2010! Laissez faire has created a great example of the invisible hand of the marketplace determining what the demand for limousine and sedan service should be in Davidson County. If it ‘ain’t’ broke, don’t try and fix it! Director McQuiston is also projecting a revenue stream in excess of $700k for an upfront investment of $110k. This is a rate of return that would make even Bernie Madoff blush.

Contrary to any press accounts to the contrary, no testimony or real world threat to public safety has been cited by this commission, during the perfunctory 2009 hearings, or for that matter, in any of the three regulatory attempts of the Nashville limousine business between 1999 & 2010. A ‘what if’ scenario was the closest any could come up with as a reason for regulation. That flawed logic has been coupled to a process that has been and is unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious and lacking proper due process. By way of example, limos already carry at least 30 times as much liability insurance as taxis, $1.5M V. $50k. Why can’t the taxis carry at least $500k policy limits, in the interests of “public safety”?
Nothing in this proposed ordinance will materially improve public safety. However, it will have the effect of pushing existing small business, out of business. As drafted, this should and will be the source of embarrassment diminishing Nashville’s business friendly reputation, because of the damage it would inflict to existing small business. The majority of limousine operators are self employed mom and pop type home based operators. We typically run just a single vehicle, one person operation, with a few running two or three vehicles. The initial cost of compliance for a single car operator could easily run more $30k for equipment alone and presents operations requirements that make it very burdensome to a one person operation. The so called limousine association was formed by a small cartel of limousine operators, who expressly seek to handsomely profit, by the oligopoly the proposed regulations would create for their business model. At their recent meeting, one of their association’s officers held out a six fold increase in company valuation, as reason for supporting the proposed ordinance. He reasoned that new operators would be so hard pressed to enter the Metro Nashville market, their only real option would be to buy an existing operation. This cartel seeks to eliminate competition, whose business model undercuts theirs on price and service. At their very core, they seek to kill the American Dream of starting ones own limo business and I find that to be pretty damned UNAMERICAN!
Because many small limo and sedan also specifically target and cater to the DUI prevention crowd, we also perform worthwhile public service. We help reduce drunk driving carnage, by presenting an affordable, attractive and desirable alternative to people under the influence. This kind of regulation certainly works against the psychology of DUI prevention. A decision whether or not to drive drunk is often made on a whim, which may not stand the test of resolve that 15 minutes waiting time nor distaste of a cab presents. Limo rides make some people very happy, especially when they are liquored up and this means they are riding instead of driving.
Limousine and sedan licensing, driver’s licensing and insurance are all adequately covered under state law. The proposed regulations punish and prohibit business models that have been successfully serving the public for many years and now would be arbitrarily punishable as criminal misdemeanors. Most of these proposed regulations, have nothing whatsoever to do with public safety, but would double the size of the kingdom of the agency asking for these new regulations. Much of it is arbitrary on it’s face and/or would be capricious in the application thereof. Something is horribly wrong with all of that.
Cab company owners also benefit by eliminating competition that challenges their Metro granted oligopoly. By most accounts, the current cab regulatory scheme and the oligopoly it has created are a collective failure and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. Commission background checks did not deter a cabbie from intentionally running over two passengers by VU a couple of years ago. By contrast, we have had more fatalities in and by cabs in the first half of 2009, than the previous 20 years of unregulated limo business in Davidson County, including two pedestrians hit and killed by the same cab on West End. These kinds of incidents coupled with the rape case currently in criminal court, alleging violent rape in a taxi, in the taxi company parking lot, suggests that the regulator is not protecting citizens from taxi drivers and needs no additional responsibilities to fail with. Metro even contributes in excess of $30,000 of tax dollars per year to fund ‘Taxi Pro’, which is a 3 day ESL workshop for 200 taxi drivers. The need is much greater than the 200 seats, but Metro is constrained by budgetary issues. Because Metro pays for cab driver’s English lessons, the cab owners don’t have to pay for nor require fluency. We don’t even have time to discus taxi owner’s labor practices, which reminds me of a plantation system, as the drivers will never be eligible for a Metro taxi license of their own. A few taxi drivers have transitioned into sedan, limo and other forms of ground transportation self employment. This proposed ordinance would eliminate these taxi competitors, including the former taxi driver who now owns and runs the largest sedan business in Nashville..
A high percentage of potential taxi customers, prefer to have the option of executive sedans and superstretch limos catering to their ground transportation needs. The small limo and sedan independents are the reason why Nashville has a wide spread international reputation as a limo town. We do our share to keep Nashville ranked high on the friendliest cities list. Our business model repositioned the product of limos as neither exclusive nor expensive, but as a commodity subject to supply and demand, thus much lower and affordable price points, which extends limo service to the great masses. Tourists and business travelers are taking home their Nashville limo pictures, video and memories, to show and tell everyone about. Our business model provides a fifty fold increase of access to visitors, tourists and locals, over that of the cartel of 1980’s limo business model operators. Our approaches to the limo business disrupts their market share aspirations, yet in reality, there is very little overlap in our clientele. They pursue the CMA Award Show, Castner Knotts and Cain Sloan customer. Many of our customers, are also customers of Dollar General, Walmart and Big Lots. We are in reach of 90% of the local population or over a million people and in contact with thousands of tourists yearly!
Supporters of this ordinance operate from business models that provide access to 2% of Nashville. They covet to position 100% of the local limo market as high end, exclusive and artificially expensive. They are fighting each other for the same 10,000 middle Tennessee potential customers. Supporters of this proposed 25 pages of regulations seek to create market barriers which would drive many or all of the independent non traditional operators from the marketplace. Supporters represent that part of the limo business that espouses an outdated, aristocratic and old school business model, that caters exclusively to the high end crowd. While not the first time exposed to this sentiment, one of them argued to me just last week, “It is a privilege to for someone to rent one of my limousines.” These people are not very consumer centric in their approach to business.
As their philosophy requires minimums of $150 and up, one practice they have mocked non traditional operators over, is the $20 limo ride and they seek to outlaw it. If a tourist goes home showing their friends and family vacation pictures of their limo ride, who has been hurt? Many don’t even spend the $20 and just take free pictures posing beside of and getting in and out of the limo. If a local parent gets their child a $20 limo ride because of a birthday or good report card, who has been hurt? It is anti consumer and elitist to try and eliminate this, by requiring two to three hour minimums! Just because some operators are too inept to operate this low priced kind of pricing strategy, does not mean that they have the right to use a regulatory process to eliminate their competition and those annoying phone calls from potential customers, who found much better pricing from the other business model!
2010 is a real time world! Why seek to restrict customer service & seek to slow down delivery of customer response time? What public good comes by restricting a customer from consuming instantaneous limo or sedan service right this second, should they desire such? Why should law prevent a customer from buying and having sedan or limo service delivered to their desired starting place, in less than 30 minutes? In a world of cell phones,why require dispatches from a central location to drivers in the field?
Why does heavy burden and the statistical impact of these proposed regulations, as well as the long standing taxi regulations, fall so heavily on minorities and those of other national origins? Why can a hotel testify in the hearing they tracked 6000 requests in one quarter for instant sedan service from their one hotel, provide sedan service for a fee and be exempt from any of these regulations? Antitrust implications, arising from actions of people involved in pushing these regulations, are the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Why should those riding in a limo have to compromise their who, when and where privacy, by being logged into mandated records? This proposed regulation specifically makes paratransit vehicles, used by the disabled, less accessible. As anyone in a wheelchair can tell you, this is just plain stupid.
Until you’ve had a limo out at midnight Saturday night in both the Governor’s Club and JC Napier, as this writer has, don’t even try pretend that you know, understand and service the typical Nashville limousine consumer. Until you’ve stood down on 2nd Avenue or Broadway every night between Memorial Day and Labor Day for a whole summer talking to tourists and locals, don’t pretend to know what the majority of them want, in terms of limo and sedan service in, out and around Nashville. We do our share to help develop and maintain Nashville’s reputation as friendliest place to visit. Because of our presence at night in the District, as well as availability and approachability, we effectively replace the CVB yellow shirt Segway crowd after hours, pro bono.
We have been and are assets to the community and want to serve the public in the same way some of us have for over 10 years. To now criminalize our business models violates the 14th Amendment and quite simply, will not survive Federal judicial review.
 
In the past year this council voted to exempt existing adult bookstores from new regulations. Limo operators deserve at least as much consideration as porn merchants, as these proposed regulations are many times more burdensome to the limo and sedan business in Nashville. The transportation licensing scheme here is hopelessly broken and deserves to be completely scrapped and rebuilt. The cab owners deserve more competition which will force them to provide better service and better qualified drivers. Nashville residents and visitors deserve open and free access to ground transportation needs. Kill this bill on the first reading! Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter!

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Breaking News!!! Are Nashville Taxis Safe?

April 2nd, 2010

 

Metro Police patch
  • Metro Nashville Police Department

March 31, 2010


Sex Crimes detectives have charged a Yellow Cab driver with rape by force for allegedly attacking a 21-year-old female Ft. Campbell soldier who hailed the cab in the early morning hours of February 28th.

Abdiwahab Kheir, 26, of Whispering Oaks Place, is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.

The investigation by Detective Chuck Fleming shows that the victim was visiting a Nashville nightclub downtown when she became separated from her friends. Unable to find them, she hailed a Yellow Cab on 3rd Avenue North and the driver agreed to take her to Ft. Campbell. Instead, the victim was taken to the rear of Yellow Cab Company headquarters at 930 3rd Avenue South where she said the driver forcibly raped her. She said her attacker then took her to the Greyhound station on 8th Avenue South and made her get out. The victim hired another cab to take her to Ft. Campbell, where she reported the attack to the Army.

During Detective Fleming’s investigation, he discovered incomplete log sheets, at best, for Yellow Cab. When Fleming asked for photos of its drivers, the company demanded a court order. Pursuant to the order, Fleming received photos of some 200 individuals. The victim reviewed the photos and identified Kheir as the rapist.

When stopped by police yesterday, detectives noticed that the middle seat of Kheir’s Yellow Cab van was missing, just as the victim had described.

Kheir was arrested and taken to General Hospital for HIV testing. Kheir refused to submit to the test, which was ultimately administered by court order. He declined to be interviewed.

Detectives urge any other women who may have been assaulted or victimized by Kheir to contact the police department’s Sex Crimes Unit at 862-7540.

  • Abdiwahab Kheir
    Abdiwahab Kheir

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Metro Livery Offers 20% Discount

January 10th, 2010

If you are an employee or student of :

1. Vanderbilt University

2. Belmont University

3. David Lipscomb University

4. Tennessee State University

Ask for a 20% discount when you make a reservation.

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Metro Livery Now Offers Worldwide Transportation!

August 5th, 2009

Metro Livery is now  affiliated with Carmel USA: Worldwide Ground TransportationworldwideLogo.  You can book your ride more than 300 locations around the globe now ! 

 Worldwide reservation: Click here to make a reservation today.

 

Want to make a reservation in Nashville? Click here. 

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Draft Ordinance – Other Passenger Vehicles For Hire

July 9th, 2009

To:      Director

Transportation Licensing Commission

            1417 Murfreesboro Road 

            Nashville, TN 37219-6300 

 

 

 

 Re: Chapter 6.74, Other Passenger Vehicles For Hire

 

 

Metro Livery, Inc. has served the middle Tennessee area for four years. We are an authorized ground transportation provider for Nashville International Airport with over 30 cars and approximately 200 transfers daily. All units are equipped with GPS tracking and mapping for on-time accurate pickup, with knowledgeable, professionally trained drivers.  We have one of the largest car service operations in the South and nationwide affiliate network, providing the people of Middle Tennessee with the optimal level of service and value.

 

Before METRO LIVERY began serving the Nashville community, consumers lacked an alternative choice and were underserved. They had either the taxi industry or high priced limousines only.

 

 Consumers had a number of issues with the taxi industry:

 

  1. Dependability, especially reservations, punctuality, no-show, etc.
  2. Cleanliness
  3. Drivers’ and taxi companies’ business ethics, such as refusing short runs
  4. Rates higher than the national average
  5. Payment issues, refusing credit cards, general inefficiency
  6. Not keeping customers’ ride history and records
  7. Insurance liability issues
  8. Lack of driver training and customer care programs

 

Consumers’ only alternative was high priced limousines, primarily serving the upper income demographic only. They were not working for “public convenience and necessity”, but money alone!

 

New products and services are welcomed by the American people, supported by the principle of free enterprise. Because of the poor quality of service from the taxi industry, Gaylord Opryland Hotel started it’s own car service to better serve guests. They do not offer this car service at any other Gaylord location in United States. After some time, Super Shuttle came to Nashville and offered their door-to-door shuttle service. Because of their quality of service, they were successful from day one.

 

METRO LIVERY is a cost effective alternative for over priced limousine and taxi. We started our business with only one car. We satisfy all county, state and federal licensing and compliances.  We were so blessed because the people of Nashville accepted and gave us the privilege to serve them and accepted METRO LIVERY as a trusted service. They trust our service for on time guaranteed pick up. If our driver is over 10 minutes late, the customer gets a 100% free ride. We offer our point to point transportation to underserved areas, regardless of distance. We meet a variety of needs, whether the customer desires an hourly, mileage-based or flat rate. We apply effective marketing and customer service techniques. We also use efficient dispatch techniques with an online nationwide reservation and payment system. Customers can track their ride history and print their invoice receipts online. Because of our quality of service, METRO LIVERY is Nashville’s first choice. We are proud to call Music City home, and are grateful for the success the city has afforded us. We are ready to meet all needs of this great city.  Over the next five years, we are determined to invest in a 100 % hybrid fleet and clean air vehicles, to keep Nashville beautiful and healthy.

 

We want the Transportation Licensing Commission to support our industry, as our business model is successfully working.  Any pre-arrangement or hourly restrictions will have damaging consequences, because 95% of our business is mileage based and flat rates. Please do not merge Limousine operations with sedan or livery service. Allow customers to make their own decision as to what type of service they want to use. How can the consumer save money in slow economy? Let them decide if they need mileage based, flat rate or hourly rates! Let them decide what is most convenient for their unique needs. Why punish our industry in support of taxis? A prime example of favoritism and support is: In November 2004, a cab company was granted 40 additional permits upon two conditions: 1. They will introduce new technology and use DDS computerized dispatch in their 70 cabs and, 2. Fill up 70 permits in six months. It was a deadline. Because of poor quality of service and business practices, this company is still struggling to fill up 70 permits and install DDS dispatch. What happened to their deadline?

 

It is now 2009. Please do not encourage a monopoly or price fixing. Nashville taxis are allowed to cruise and pick up flaggers, and have free taxi stands to make money. Taxi permits are $75 annually, yet we shall be required to pay $250 per permit? Please apply fairness. We have been paying all metro, county, state and federal taxes for all this time. Our operation and business was grandfathered long before this proposed ordinance. One hour pre-arrangement and hourly restrictions conflict with state and federal laws. We are strongly disagreeing with this part of ordinance.

 

We are applying the New York City business model because it is the world’s largest livery and luxury limousine operation; with 37,000 licensed luxury vehicles for hire VS 13,000 licensed taxis. New York City defines our operation:

 

Livery. A for-hire vehicle designed to carry fewer than six passengers, excluding the driver, which charges for service on the basis of flat rate, time, mileage, or zones.

Luxury limousine. A luxury limousine is a for-hire vehicle with a seating capacity of twenty passengers or less, excluding the driver, which is dispatched by its base from a central facility which has certified to the satisfaction of the Commission that more than ninety percent of its for-hire business is on a payment basis other than direct cash payment by a passenger, and whose passengers are charged on the basis of garage to garage service and on a flat rate basis or per unit of time or mileage, for which there is maintained personal injury insurance coverage of no less than five hundred thousand dollars per accident where one person is injured and one million dollars per accident for all persons injured in that same accident.

If said vehicle has a seating capacity of fewer than nine passengers, and meets the minimum liability insurance requirements set forth in these rules if the vehicle has a seating capacity of ten or more passengers.

 

We are comfortable with other parts of the ordinance. We offer the lowest prices in town while using luxury vehicles and greater limits of liability. We are comfortable to pay the $75 annual permit fee, same as taxi. We disagree with one hour pre-arrangement and two hour minimum service time. We want to offer our customers 15 minute pre-arrangement and also want to offer mileage based and flat rates.  Thank you for your consideration.

 

Yours truly,

 

Syed A Bokhari

 

President

Metro Livery

Please get involved and make a comment.

 

You can read the draft ordinance to regulate non-taxi passenger vehicles-for-hire  http://www.nashville.org/tlc/

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Metro Livery Offers Wine Tour!

June 2nd, 2009

 

Take a unique  wine tour. Arrington Vineyards is located 25 minutes south of Nashville among the beautiful hills of Arrington, Tennessee. Whether you are just visiting, or live here in the Nashville Area, Metro Livery Tours will come to you to begin your day of adventure.  Sit back and relax in your personal limousine as you take in the majestic scenery  and spend the day tasting wine without the hassle of driving your own car. During the day you can dine outdoors among the vineyards at a scenic winery location. lowerstrip1

From couples to large corporate groups , our wine tours can accommodate all your needs. Call us today and get ready to have an unforgettable experience.

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Metro Livery > #1 On Citysearch.com

February 28th, 2009

Metro Livery was voted #1 on CitySearch.com > Nashville’s Only 5 Star Ground Transportation Service

Hear what our satisfied customers are saying :

Thank you for a very pleasant trip from Nashville to Columbia on October 31st. My driver, Allie (sp) was waiting for me, drove with care and courtesy, which was much appreciated. My sister took a business card because she was very impressed. 

Sincerely, Denise Gottlieb Scottsdale, AZ

Just wanted to say thanks to Dee (sp?) for picking me up last night at the airport. He was courteous, friendly, and simply nice after my long day of travel. I know many people only comment about problems but I wanted to take a moment and say thanks for a professional and friendly driver!

Name: Rebecca Burcham 

My firends and I stayed in Nasvhille yesterday for the concert. your service was recomended by one of Bret\’s band mates. I love our driver T-Bone. Great guy!!!!! The cars were nice and clean I would recomend you guys to anybody. Just wanted you to know how much we enjoyed our rides. Pros: Nice and Clean Cars Cons: None

See ya next time :) Amanda

Read more testimonials on CitySearch.com

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Stretch Escalade

February 27th, 2009

Travel in style in our Stretch Escalade. Great for proms, weddings, bachelor & bachellorette parties, graduation, business outings, anniversaries and much more. Read more about Metro Livery’s stretch limo services here.

 

http://www.metrolivery.com/images/fleet/escalade2.jpg

http://www.metrolivery.com/images/fleet/escalade2.jpg

 

 

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New Website & Blog

February 27th, 2009

We have a new website thanks to our friends at Nashville Web Design . We hope you enjoy the new site. We’ve also set up a new blog to keep you updated with the latest news and specials. Enjoy!

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