Gay Couple Booted From Cab for Hugging

New York City cab drivers are notoriously on edge, but on Monday night one driver kicked a gay couple to the curb after he spotted them hugging in the backseat, an action that seems over the top even for cabbies.

Paul Bruno said he and his partner were sitting close after getting into the cab at 13th Street and First Avenue -- too close, apparently, for driver Medhat Mohamed.

"You guys have to get out of the taxi! Hugging is not allowed in here!" Mohamed said, as told to the New York Post by Bruno.

If Bruno's story checks out, it could mean a big fine for Mohamed. The couple filed an official complaint against the driver by dialing the Taxi and Limousine Commission at 311.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission "would take such an allegation very seriously and fully investigate," spokesman Allan Fromberg told the Post. Such an act would be considered a "service refusal," which triggers fines ranging from $200 to $500, with a 30-day suspension for the second offense and automatic license revocation on the third.