Commuter Van Drivers: TLC License, Rules & Penalties

In short: A commuter van carries 9 to 20 passengers on pre-arranged, regular daily trips between a neighborhood and places like a subway hub, workplace, shopping center or airport. To drive one you need a separate TLC Commuter Van Driver License, a commercial class A, B or C license, and active Article 19-A status (New York's bus-driver qualification program). Your rules are in TLC rule book chapter 57, not chapter 80, and a few of them can cost you the license quickly.

Your license is not the regular TLC license

TLC's license overview is clear that the standard TLC Driver License covers taxis, green cabs, liveries, black cars and limousines. Commuter vans need their own license. Driving a for-hire commuter van without a valid Commuter Van Driver License is a $400 summons (57-11(a)).

How to apply

TLC's commuter van license page lists these steps, and all of them must be finished within 90 days of your application or it is denied:

TLC puts the total at about $367.25. NYPD officers, active military and veterans have extra document requirements. For the general process, see how to get a TLC license and the defensive driving course guide.

Stay qualified: 19-A and your chauffeur's license

Two rules can stop you overnight:

• No valid chauffeur's license: your commuter van license is summarily suspended. The fine is $350 and suspension until you comply for a first violation, $500 for a second within 24 months, and revocation for a third within 36 months (57-11(b)).
• Out of compliance with Article 19-A: TLC treats this the same as driving without a commuter van license. Fine $400 and suspension until compliance (57-11(c)).

If your state license is suspended or revoked, you must report it to TLC right away (57-11(d)). Keep your 19-A paperwork current with the van operator.

Renewing on time

A commuter van license lasts three years, and a renewed license runs three years from the date the old one expired (57-06). The timing rules are strict:

• File at least 30 days before expiration. If you file later, TLC may not finish its review before your license expires.
• After the expiration date you cannot drive until TLC approves the renewal, even if your application is in.
• Late window: you can still file up to 180 days after expiration with a $25 late fee. Your license stays expired until approval.
• After 180 days, the license cannot be renewed at all; you would have to apply again as a new driver.
• Suspended? You still have to renew on time if you want to keep the license, and it stays unusable until the suspension ends.

Driving on an expired license is driving without a valid commuter van license, the $400 summons above. Put the expiration date in your phone calendar the day you get the license.

The route and pickup rules

A commuter van service is authorized for a specific area. Rule 57-19 says:

• Pre-arranged only (57-19(a), $50).
• No pickups or drop-offs outside the area in the service's authorization (57-19(b)(1)).
• No pickups or drop-offs along any City of New York or private bus route (57-19(b)(2)). The only exception is south of Chambers Street in Manhattan, for services that had state authority on July 1, 1992.

A 57-19(b) violation is $75 for the first and second time, but a third within six months means mandatory revocation, and you cannot apply for a new license for a year (57-02(d)).

Passengers and refusals

You must not refuse a passenger who pre-arranged a trip within the service's authorized area, including a passenger with a service animal (57-20(a): $200 to $350 for a first violation; $350 to $500 for each later one within 36 months; appearance required). You may refuse a passenger who has a weapon, carries something you reasonably believe could injure others or damage the van, has an animal not secured in a carrier (service animals excepted), is intoxicated or disorderly, or refuses to stop smoking. You must never refuse because of behavior caused by a disability.

You may not require a passenger with a disability to bring an attendant or charge extra for one (57-20(c)), and you may not refuse to carry a wheelchair, crutches or other mobility aid (57-20(d), $200 to $350).

Fines and suspensions

Fines are due within 30 days of the decision. If an appeal is filed in time, payment is put off until 30 days after the appeal decision. If you don't pay, TLC sends a notice that your license will be suspended in 10 business days until you pay (57-02(c)). See paying TLC fines and how to lift a TLC suspension.

TLC lists 15 commuter van authority bases (snapshot 2026-10-12, NYC Open Data). Summonses are heard at OATH like every other TLC case: see OATH hearings for TLC drivers. Paratransit drivers have a similar but separate license; see our paratransit drivers page.