(a) Metered Rate of Fare.
(1) Metered Rate of Fare. The rate of fare for Taxicabs is as follows, regardless of the number of passengers or stops:
(i) The charge for the initial unit is $3.00 plus the Taxicab Improvement Surcharge of $1.00.
(ii) The charge for each additional unit is $.70.
(iii) The unit of fare is:
A. One-fifth of a mile, when the Taxicab is traveling at 12 miles an hour or more; or
B. 60 seconds when the Taxicab is traveling at less than 12 miles an hour.
(iv) The Taximeter must combine fractional measures of distance and time in accruing a unit of fare. Any combination of distance or time specified in paragraph (iii) above must be computed by the Taximeter in accordance with Handbook 44 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
(v) The fare must include pre-assessment of the unit currently being accrued; the amount due can therefore include a full unit charge for a final, fractional unit.
(2) Surcharges. In addition to the metered rate of fare, Taxicabs will add the following surcharges, except where surcharges are specifically exempted:
(i) A rush hour surcharge of $2.50 for all trips beginning on a weekday after 4:00 p.m. and before 8:00 p.m.; this surcharge will not be applied on legal holidays.
(ii) A nighttime surcharge of $1.00 for all trips beginning after 8:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m.
(iii) A surcharge of $5.00 for all trips to and from LaGuardia Airport.
(3) MTA Tax. The MTA Tax must be charged on any trip that starts in New York City and ends in any of the following:
(i) New York City
(ii) Dutchess County
(iii) Nassau County
(iv) Orange County
(v) Putnam County
(vi) Rockland County
(vii) Suffolk County
(viii) Westchester County
(b) Flat Rates between Manhattan and Kennedy Airport.
(1) Flat Fare Rate between Manhattan and Kennedy Airport. The fare for a trip between Kennedy Airport and Manhattan will be a Flat Rate of $70.00, plus any tolls and applicable surcharges.
(i) A rush hour surcharge of $5.00 will be added to this Flat Rate for all trips beginning on a weekday after 4:00 p.m. and before 8:00 p.m. This surcharge will not be applied on legal holidays.
(ii) The MTA Tax must be charged in addition to the Flat Rate.
(iii) The Taximeter must reflect that this trip is a Flat Rate fare.
(2) Calculating Fare for Multiple Stops to Manhattan. If passengers request multiple stops on a trip from Kennedy Airport to Manhattan, the fare will be determined as follows:
(i) The first stop in Manhattan is paid as required by paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(ii) The Taximeter is then turned on as if for a new trip and a new fare is calculated as a regular metered trip.
(iii) The total metered fare (plus any surcharge) is paid at the last stop by the remaining passenger.
(iv) No fare is due at the time any other passengers are dropped off between the first and last passenger.
(v) Example: if three passengers request stops at 42nd St., 18th St. and 4th St.:
A. $70.00 plus the MTA Tax and any applicable tolls or surcharges will be collected at 42nd St.
B. The Taximeter will be turned on at that point.
C. When the second passenger exits at 18th St., the Taximeter remains on and no money is paid to the Driver.
D. The passenger dropped off at 4th St. must pay the fare on the Taximeter.
(3) Metered Fare to Boroughs Other Than Manhattan. All trips between Kennedy Airport and a borough other than Manhattan are governed by the metered rate of fare as set forth in 35 RCNY § 58-26(a).
(4) Chairperson's Right to Suspend this Provision. The Chairperson is authorized to suspend the enforcement of this provision at any time, if in the judgment of the Chairperson such a suspension is necessary to preserve adequate levels of service to and from Kennedy Airport.
(c) Trips Beyond the City.
(1) For a trip beyond the limits of the City of New York, except for Westchester or Nassau County, or Newark Airport, the fare will be a Flat Rate. The MTA Tax must be added to the Flat Rate for any trip that starts in New York City and ends in any of the following:
(i) Dutchess County
(ii) Orange County
(iii) Putnam County
(iv) Rockland County
(v) Suffolk County.
(2) For a trip to Westchester or Nassau County the fare will be the sum of the following amounts:
(i) The amount shown on the Taximeter for that portion of the trip that is inside the City limits, plus
(ii) Twice the amount shown on the Taximeter for that portion of the trip that is outside the City limits, plus
(iii) All necessary tolls to and from the destination.
(iv) The MTA Tax must be added to the total fare.
(3) For a trip to Newark Airport the fare will be the sum of the following amounts:
(i) The amount shown on the Taximeter, plus
(ii) A surcharge of $20.00, plus
(iii) All necessary tolls to and from the destination.
(4) Any continuous trip where the point of origin and the destination are both within the limits of the City of New York will not be considered a trip beyond the City limits, even though the shortest and most direct route requires traveling outside the City limits but within continuous counties. The Taximeter must be kept in the recording position throughout the trip.
(d) No Charge for Luggage or Mobility Aids. There will be no charge for:
(1) Steamer trunks or other luggage or belongings;
(2) Wheelchairs, crutches, three-wheeled motorized scooters and other mobility aids transported in the interior of the Taxicab;
(3) Use of the Taxicab's trunk.
(e) Tolls – How Tolls are Paid.
(1) All Taxicabs must be equipped with a New York MTA Bridges & Tunnels EZ-Pass®. (See 35 RCNY § 58-27)
(2) When a Taxicab drives through a toll plaza with an EZ-Pass®, the MTA Bridges & Tunnels automatically deducts the cost of the toll from an account maintained by the EZ-Pass® tag holder.
(3) Passengers must pay for the toll, but are only required to pay the actual amount (often a discounted toll) charged to the EZ-Pass®.
(4) Drivers must collect the proper toll amount from the passenger and forward it to the holder of the EZ-Pass® tag.
(f) Tolls – What Tolls are Paid by Passenger.
(1) On all trips within the City of New York, the passenger must pay:
(i) All tolls incurred during the trip except for trips as follows:
A. From the Rockaway Peninsula over the Cross Bay Veterans Bridge to Queens.
B. From the Rockaway Peninsula over the Marine Parkway – Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge to Brooklyn.
C. From Staten Island over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn.
(ii) Two times the amount of the toll if incurred during the trip:
A. From Queens over the Cross Bay Veterans Bridge to the Rockaway Peninsula.
B. From Brooklyn over the Marine Parkway – Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge to the Rockaway Peninsula.
C. From Brooklyn over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge to Staten Island.
(2) On trips beyond the City of New York, the passenger must pay all necessary tolls to and from the destination.
(3) A Driver who charges a passenger more than the actual amount of the EZ-Pass® toll is guilty of an overcharge as prohibited by 35 RCNY § 80-17.
(4) A Driver who fails to reimburse an EZ-Pass® tag holder for all toll charges incurred, including toll charges for which there is no passenger reimbursement, will be subject to the provisions of 35 RCNY § 80-15(d)(4).
(5) In addition to any other penalty permitted, the Commission can order restitution to a passenger or the EZ-Pass® tag holder.
(g) Credit/Debit Card Rules.
(1) An Owner who is a merchant is not permitted to charge the Driver a pass-along or deduction from the total credit/debit charges incurred during the Driver's shift. An Owner who is a merchant must pay to a Driver all fares paid by credit card.
(2) Merchants are not permitted to charge a pass-along to any passenger for credit/debit card transactions.
(3) An Owner or Agent who or which is collecting the credit card surcharge authorized by 35 RCNY § 58-21(c)(5)(xi) must ensure that a Driver is not charged any additional credit card charges, or must reimburse the driver for any such additional charges, including any credit card charges imposed on the driver by the Technology System Provider.
35 RCNY § 58-26(g)(3) | Fine: $500 | Appearance NOT REQUIRED |
(h) Beginning on January 1, 2015, the Taxicab Improvement Surcharge must be collected in addition to any fare charged under subdivisions (b) through (d) of this Section.
(i) E-Payments.
(1) The payment for the fare for any trip paid for using an E-Payment must not exceed Commission-approved rates, plus an optional tip.
(2) The fare must be calculated as required by these rules and the Taximeter must be used for all trips, including trips paid for by E-Payment. Any fare paid for by E-Payment must be calculated by the Taximeter and not by any other method.
(3) The itemized fare amount charged to the Passenger must be automatically transmitted to the E-Hail Application from the Technology System or the Taximeter, and relevant payment data necessary to obtain a complete trip record must be transmitted from the E-Hail Application to the Technology System. Manual input of the fare by the Driver or any other person into the E-Hail Application is not permitted.
(Amended City Record 9/25/2015, eff. 10/25/2015; amended City Record 9/22/2016, eff. 10/22/2016; amended City Record 5/17/2018, eff. 6/16/2018; amended City Record 8/19/2019, eff. 9/18/2019; amended City Record 11/18/2022, eff. 12/18/2022; amended City Record 10/30/2023, eff. 11/29/2023)