By Harry Kane

The Somerville Police Department has recently issued several $300 fines to gypsy cabs. These so called gypsy cabs, as well as licensed cabs from other cities, are masquerading as Somerville taxis on the Internet, says Sergeant James Rooney, who issues taxicab drivers’ licenses in the city of Somerville.

Complaints from residents worried Sergeant Rooney, so in response, Rooney assembled a sting operation to catch some of the wannabe Somerville taxis.

A few of the companies that advertise on the internet, as being Somerville taxis, unknowingly picked up a plain clothed police officer, only to find out that Sergeant Rooney was going to dish out a fine.

These gypsy cabs do not have a medallion. “Some of them are just some guy in a minivan,” said Sergeant Rooney.

“I had one guy, it was just some guy in a minivan and he had a collie in the back, like lassie.”

While gypsy cabs are the biggest concern, the non-Somerville taxis posing as local cabs appear to be the most pressing issue.

Currently, the law allows out of town taxi cabs to service residents in Somerville, however, the law prohibits out of town taxis from masquerading as Somerville taxis: this is the main issue at hand.

Some of these suspect cab drivers are notoriously bad drivers and have long rap sheets, according to Rooney.

Rooney’s job is to check the taxi drivers’ criminal record and driving record to make sure everything is a-okay, and that the taxicab is a proper vehicle that’s been inspected.

Historically, you call Green and Yellow Cab, said Rooney, but now that people utilize the Internet, they are fooled into believing that there are many Somerville cab companies. This is due to the fact that outside taxi companies and gypsy cabs have fake websites advertising themselves as Somerville cabs.

General Manager of Green and Yellow Cabs, William Horan, shared his concern for the wellbeing of Somerville residents.

“Our perspective is that the customer has no idea what type of vehicle they are getting into when they get into a gypsy cab,” said Horan. “Is the vehicle registered, fully insured, has it been properly maintained…who is behind the wheel of the car?”

When you take a ride with a gypsy cab, said Horan, “it is a roll of the dice.”