Authorities in New York have shut down an 80-year-old taxi driver who says he offered free rides in his vintage Checker cab.

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Ray Kottner said he had accepted tips only and charged no fares for the last four years, the New York Post reported Saturday.

Kottner's 1982 Checker cab was impounded Thursday by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which said his cab was not inspected or properly registered and did not carry adequate insurance.

Kottner called the accusations ludicrous, while advocates for the taxi industry say Kottner was stealing from hardworking cabdrivers.

"This guy is nothing but a crook, and we're all glad he's finally off the streets," said David Pollack, a cabby and editor of Taxi Insider.

Kottner, Pollack said, was trying to avoid the many expenses cabdrivers must pay, such as $425,000 for a medallion, $700 a year to renew it, and $3,900 a month for insurance.

Kottner said the chances were slim of hailing his cab out of 13,000 in the city. "The taxi business in New York does a million dollars a day. How much money can I possibly be taking?" he said.