Patrick Andrade for The New York Times

Dozens of taxi drivers were arrested and charged in Manhattan on Wednesday in a widespread overcharging scheme that involved activating a mechanism on the fare meter that triggered a higher rate.

The 59 drivers who were arrested stole more than $235,000 in overcharged fares on more than 77,000 rides, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, said during a news conference at his office.

“Although the overcharged amount for each trip may only have been a few dollars, this kind of aggressive scam sends ripples of mistrust throughout our city,” Mr. Vance said. “No other American city depends so much on its taxi fleet.”

This case represents the largest takedown of taxi drivers the city has ever seen, the authorities said.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission found evidence that about 2,000 drivers charged the wrong rate, said David Yassky, head of the commission. Most of them have been dealt with through administrative proceedings resulting either in fines or license revocations, he said.

Mr. Vance said his office decided to criminally prosecute drivers who had done this at least 300 times.

The district attorney’s office and the commission investigated the case along with the city’s Department of Investigation.

“This criminal conduct struck a raw nerve with the public because a trip in a yellow taxicab is a quintessential New York experience for visitors to the city, and a needed means of transportation for many New Yorkers,” said Rose Gill Hearn, the commissioner of investigations.

Forty-five of the drivers arrested were charged with a felony of first-degree scheme to defraud, punishable by up to four years in prison. The remainder of those arrested were charged with a misdemeanor of petty larceny.

The authorities accused the drivers of charging riders with Rate Code 4 for trips that never left the city. That code, which doubles the rate, is supposed to be used only when a ride enters the suburbs, prosecutors said.

The city revealed the scheme in March, after a tip from a passenger led to the discovery that a driver had overcharged 574 passengers in one month last year.

The driver who charged the improper rate most often was Santiago Rossi, who did it 5,127 times, making $11,066.45 in overcharges, prosecutors said. Mfamara Camara made the most in overcharge fees: $15,502.30, according to prosecutors.