A New York City taxi driver’s license is called a “hack license.” It is officially known as the New York City Taxi Operator License. The license allows the holder/driver to operate a Yellow Medallion taxi in all five boroughs of New York City. Only one Yellow Medallion taxi is allowed to pick up passengers coming from the street in the city. The Hack license, issued through the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, is the only license to operate a yellow cab.
There are other licenses issued by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission for car and limousine service, but they cannot be used to operate the Yellow Cab. However, the Hack license can be used to operate a limo or car service vehicle. This fact makes the Hack License the most valuable of the operator licenses issued by the NYC T&LC, as well as the most prestigious.
There are currently approximately 44,000 drivers who have a hacking license in New York City.
HOW TO GET A HACK LICENSE IN NYC
The process and requirements
o All applicants for a New York City taxi hacking license must not be less than nineteen (19) years of age.
o Applicants must have a New York State Class A, B, C, or E driver’s license, or a New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania license of a similar class.
o Most licenses in New York State are Class D.
o To change a license from a class D to a class E, you must go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pay an upgrade fee.
o There will be no test.
o The fee will be approximately fifty dollars.
One problem with how to obtain a hacking license is that the applicant must not have outstanding parking or traffic tickets. If money is owed to the City of New York for traffic or parking violations, it must be paid or a documented settlement agreement filed with the appropriate agency to the NYC T&LC Licensing Division.
All applicants for a New York City taxi hacking license must be citizens or legal residents of the United States.
Applicants must also attend a six-hour New York State certified defensive driving course.
o This course must be attended no more than six months prior to the date an application is filed with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission for a Hacking License.
o The leading provider of defensive driving courses for taxi drivers in New York City is Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. Classes are available six days a week. The price is $45. gold $39. with online registration.
The medical requirement for obtaining a hacking license is contained in the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission Taxi Driver Application Form B, which must be completed by a licensed physician.
o New York City Hacking License application must be submitted in person to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission at 32-02 Queens Blvd. Long Island City NY 11101 Monday through Friday 9 am at 4 p.m.
o There is a second filing location on Staten Island. Open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 1893 Richmond Terrace Staten Island NY 10302.
o No walk-ins are allowed at the Staten Island location.
o To make an appointment call: 212-227-6324.
o At the time of application submission, the applicant will be required to pay an application fee of sixty dollars. Fee must be paid by money order payable to NYC TLC.
o At the time of application submission, the applicant must pay seventy-five dollars for the fingerprinting fee. Fee must be paid by money order payable to NYSDCJS
All applicants for the Hack License must be tested for illegal drugs. The Hack License will not be issued to any person who does not complete the test.
o The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission approved drug testing facility for new applicants is located at 31-00 47th Ave. Long Island City NY 11101.
o The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
o Payment must be made by money order payable to Lab Corp. C ª.
o Individuals who apply for the Hacking License and do not pass the drug test will be directed to a licensing standards hearing conducted by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. After the hearing, the Hack License application may be denied licence.
The most time-consuming aspect of obtaining a hacking license in New York City is the mandatory pre-training for all New York City hacking licensees. Training is on taxi-related topics, conducted by approved training institutions. The minimum training requirement is a twenty-four hour program. The program consists of a three-day course, eight hours per day, with three basic components. Geography/Map Reading, Rules and Regulations/Defensive Driving and Customer Service.
An Eighty Hour course is also available which consists of nine days of eight hours of classroom training and one trial day. (The NEW YORK CITY TAXI OPERATOR EXAMINATION). The Eighty-Hour Program is the original taxi driver training program on which the New York City Taxi Driver Exam is based.
There are other programs available on how to get a hacking license that have no time limitations. The most prominent program of this type is run by the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. The programs are unlimited in length, as long as the student maintains a regular schedule in school and does not have to relearn what was previously taught.
Certain unlimited programs include all necessary fees for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. This service allows people using credit to have Master Cabbie Taxi Academy make the fare available when the student is ready for each phase of the Hack license process. This eliminates the need to purchase money orders for which only cash can be used.
The taxi driver test on how to get a hacking license in New York City consists of two parts. It is administered by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission each week at the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy.
o The Hack license applicant must successfully complete an English proficiency as part of the exam. It is a low-level ESL test for basic English proficiency, consisting of four parts. There are thirty questions, fifteen of which are filler questions and fifteen of which are multiple choice. An applicant must score twenty-one correctly to pass the exam. Applicants who do not pass the exam may take a second exam at another date. Applicants who fail the exam a second time must submit a new application to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission if they wish to continue the process of obtaining a New York City Hacking License.
o The final step in the process of How to Get a Hacking License in NYC is the New York City Taxi Operators exam. The Taxi Operators exam consists of two parts. One part is open book and the other part is closed book. The first part consists of ten questions. The applicant may use a Five (5) Borough Atlas of New York City and a street address locator during this portion of the exam. Forty-five minutes are allowed for this part of the exam.
o Part Two of the New York City Taxi Operators exam gives the applicant seventy-five minutes and consists of forty questions. Approximately twelve questions will refer to rules and regulations and questions about defensive driving. The remaining twenty-eight questions will be about geography, landmarks, roads, air, bus, and train terminals, etc. Applicants must answer thirty-five questions correctly, with a score of seventy percent or higher, to pass the exam. Applicants who do not pass the exam may take a second exam at another date. Applicants who fail the exam a second time must submit a new application to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission if they wish to continue with the process.
Taxi drivers in New York City earn up to a thousand dollars a week and more.
If you want to apply for a New York City hacking license, you need to contact Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. At: 718-472-1699 or 1-800-955-TAXI.
© Terry Gelber October 2007
Terry Gelber has a New York City hacking license.