See this? http://www.taxicabelectronics.com/my_first_taxi.htm

They'll sell you a new taxi cab meter "preprogrammed with your rates". You swap the legit one out yourself. Install this bad boy. Charge whatever you feel like. When it's time for the annual inspection you swap it out for the regular taximeter and you're good to go. Taxi cab drivers share other tips like replacing the tires for k-value tests, swapping out the vss, or installing a "pulse divider" (Google taxi pulse divider / multiplier). Then there's good old-fashioned charging the wrong fare. Many cities have special fares depending on time, pickup / drop-off location, and cabbies will try to "accidentally" charge someone the wrong fare. I've even had taxi drivers show me their "special fares" programmed into their taximeters.

I present no evidence. I have been charged the wrong fare entirely too often in the days back before Uber. It's a real event that happens a significant proportion of the time, and that's not even to touch on the subject of pirate cabs.

This argument is akin to claiming that the availability of sawed-off shotguns implies that a "significant" number of people are buying them and shooting people with them. It's not a substitute for statistical evidence of use and lawbreaking.

Besides, "significant" is a classic weasel word - it could mean one, for all we know.

Yes. I weaseled so hard I literally said "I present no evidence." Thank you for pointing that out.

That made me laugh. Thank you for being a good sport. :-)

Certainly the same method used by some unscrupulous gas stations. They added a device to the pump that electronically altered the cost i.e. skipping/adding x cents after y amount pumped. More than one Canadian station owner was nailed a few years ago for adding these devices to their pumps.

My google-foo skills haven't found the relevant story tho.

For taxis the device is called a "pulse multiplier" or "pulse divider". You can make them yourself if you have some basic electronics knowledge.