Vehicle – Taxicab and Street Hail Livery Taximeters and Roof Lights.
35 RCNY § 80-26
in effect§ 80-26 Vehicle – Taxicab and Street Hail Livery Taximeters and Roof Lights.
(a) Taximeter Condition.
(1) Defective Condition. A Driver must not pick up or transport a Passenger in a Taxi or Street Hail Livery when the Taximeter in his or her Taxicab or Street Hail Livery is defective.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(1) Fine: $100 if plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty following a hearing. Points: 1 Appearance REQUIRED
(2) Defect(s) that Arise During Shift. If the Taximeter breaks down during a trip so that the fare can no longer be monitored, the Driver must immediately tell the Passenger and offer him or her the option of:
(i) Continuing the trip after mutually agreeing to a reasonable fare, or
(ii) Terminating the trip and paying the fare shown on the Taximeter to that point.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(2) Fine: $100 if plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty following a hearing. Appearance REQUIRED
(3) Procedures for Terminating Use of Vehicle with Defective Taximeter. Upon terminating a trip because of a defective Taximeter the Driver must:
(i) Log off from the Technology System
(ii) Lock the rear doors
(iii) Transmit data that the Taximeter is defective (or enter on a written Trip Record, if the Technology System is inoperative)
(iv) Return the Vehicle immediately to the garage or base of record or a licensed Taximeter repair shop.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(3) Fine: $75 if plead guilty before a hearing; $100 if found guilty following a hearing. Appearance REQUIRED
(4) A Driver must immediately notify the Taxicab Owner of any Taximeter defect.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(4) Fine: $75 Appearance REQUIRED
(5) Seals and Serial Number. A Driver must not drive a Taxicab or Street Hail Livery unless all Taximeter seals and cable housing seals are in good condition, pressed by the Commission or its authorized designee and show no signs of tampering. The serial number of the Taximeter must be the same as that shown on the rate card assigned to the Vehicle.
(i) The Commission will assume that a Driver who operates a Vehicle with a broken Taximeter seal knew of the tampering or alteration and deliberately operated the Vehicle in violation of this Rule, and will take appropriate action against the Driver.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(5) Fine: $100 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(6) Receipt Paper. A Driver must not pick up or transport a Passenger unless the Taximeter is properly equipped with paper for printing receipts.
35 RCNY § 80-26(a)(6) Fine: $25 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(b) Taximeter Operation.
(1) Setting Taximeter to Record. As soon as a Passenger enters the Taxicab or the Street Hail Livery on a Hail Trip, the Driver must immediately place the Taximeter in the recording or "Hired" position and must keep it in that position until arrival at the destination.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(1) Fine: $200 Points: 1 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(2) Entering Passenger with a Disability. If the Passenger is a Person with a Disability, the Driver must not place the Taximeter in the recording or "Hired" position while the Driver is assisting a person with a disability to enter the Vehicle or while assisting with that Passenger's mobility aid.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(2) Fine: $100 Points: 1 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(3) Exiting Passenger with a Disability. If the Passenger is an individual with a disability who requires assistance to exit the Vehicle, the Driver must place the Taximeter in a non-recording position before assisting such Passenger and must leave the Taximeter in a non-recording position until such Passenger has paid the fare and safely exited the Vehicle.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(3) Fine: $100 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(4) Flat Fare Trip. When the Taxicab or Street Hail Livery is engaged in a flat fare trip between Kennedy Airport and Manhattan, the Driver must key the information into the Technology System, as applicable (or enter on a written Trip Record) that this is a flat fare trip to or from Kennedy Airport and include the time and distance of the trip.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(4) Fine: $100 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(5) End of Trip. Upon reaching the Passenger's destination, the Driver must place the Taximeter in a non-recording or "Time Off" position, inform the Passenger of the fare due and leave the Taximeter in a non- recording position until the fare is paid.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(5) Fine: $50 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(6) Re-setting the Taximeter. Immediately after the Passenger leaves the Vehicle, the Driver must clear the Taximeter, placing it in an off or "Vacant" position in which it must remain until the next Passenger enters the Vehicle.
35 RCNY § 80-26(b)(6) Fine: $50 Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(c) Unauthorized Taximeter Devices or Repairs.
(1) A Driver must not connect any unauthorized device to the Taximeter.
(2) The Driver must not tamper with, repair or attempt to repair the Taximeter seals, cable connections or electrical wiring,
(3) The Driver must not make any change in the Vehicle's mechanism or its tires which would affect the operation of the Taximeter system.
35 RCNY § 80-26(c)(1)-(3) Fine: $50 - $350 and/or suspension up to 30 days. Points: 3 Appearance REQUIRED
(4) It will be an affirmative defense to a violation of this provision, 35 RCNY § 80-26(c), that the Driver:
(i) Did not know of or participate in the alleged Taximeter tampering, and
(ii) Exercised due diligence to ensure that Taximeter tampering did not occur.
(d) Report Signs of Tampering to TLC. A Driver must notify the Owner (or, in the case of a Street Hail Livery, the Street Hail Livery Base) and the Commission by telephone immediately, and in writing within 24 hours, upon the discovery of any of the following:
(1) A Taximeter other than the Taximeter approved by the Commission and indicated on the Rate Card, has been installed in the Vehicle operated by the Driver.
(2) A Taximeter seal in the Vehicle operated by the Driver has been removed or tampered with.
(3) An unauthorized device that may affect the operation of a Taximeter has been connected to the Taximeter, seal, cable connection or electrical wiring of the Vehicle operated by the Driver.
(4) Any intervening connections, splices, "Y" connections or direct or indirect interruptions or connections of any kind whatsoever have been discovered on any wiring harness attached to the Taximeter in the Vehicle operated by the Driver.
35 RCNY § 80-26(d) Fine: $100 Appearance REQUIRED
(e) Roof Light Condition.
(1) The Roof Light must be illuminated when the Taximeter is not in use and the Driver is on duty and available; and
(2) The Roof Light must be off when any of the following occurs:
(i) The Taximeter is in use.
(ii) The Driver has logged off or logged on but is unavailable for street-hail in the Technology System.
(iii) The Driver is a Street Hail Livery Driver traveling to pick up a Passenger for a Pre-Arranged Trip.
35 RCNY § 80-26(e) Fine: $100 if plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty following a hearing. Appearance NOT REQUIRED
(f) Unauthorized Roof Light Devices or Repairs.
(1) A Driver must not tamper with the Roof Light or any of the interior lights or connections except to replace a defective bulb or fuse.
(2) The Roof Light of a Taxicab or Street Hail Livery must be automatically controlled only by the movement of the Taximeter button or ignition switch.
(3) The Commission will assume that a Driver who operates a Vehicle with an unauthorized installation or device controlling interior or roof lighting knew of the unauthorized installation or device and deliberately operated the Vehicle in violation of this Rule, and the Commission will take appropriate action against the Driver.
35 RCNY § 80-26(f) Fine: $50 - $350 and/or suspension up to 30 days. Points: 3 Appearance REQUIRED
(Added City Record 9/22/2016, eff. 10/22/2016; amended City Record 5/17/2018, eff. 6/16/2018; amended City Record 2/2/2023, eff. 3/4/2023)
Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCrules/0-0-0-98177Fetched: 10/24/2026