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In short: A livery is a for-hire vehicle affiliated with a livery base station, the neighborhood "car service" many New Yorkers call by phone. You drive on the standard TLC Driver License. Livery work comes with a few rules of its own: the car must show the base's name, license number and phone, it needs amber distress lights, your TLC license goes in a holder on the back of your seat, and you must charge the fare the base quoted. And like every for-hire driver, you can never take a street hail.
What a livery base is
TLC's definitions say a livery base station works like this:
- All livery vehicles are dispatched from the base pre-arranged.
- All livery vehicles are designed to carry fewer than six passengers.
- Passengers pay by flat rate, time, mileage or zones.
Unlike a black car base, a livery base has no rule that most of its business must be non-cash, which is why cash fares are common in livery work. If your car moves to a black car base or an app company, it becomes a black car and different rules apply. See our black car drivers page.
What the car must have
Missing base signs is a small fine, but it is also the kind of thing an inspector notices first. If you move to a different livery base, the signs must change too. Read decals and trade dress and FHV base affiliation.
The distress lights under rule 59C-03 are a safety feature: two amber lights, 3 to 4 inches across, that flash 60 to 120 times a minute when you hit a silent switch. The rule requires the switch to be silent and within easy reach of the driver, so you can turn the lights on without the passenger noticing. Test them at the start of each shift, just as you would check your brake lights. If one is broken, tell the vehicle owner and get it fixed before you drive: the owner is responsible for equipment, but you are the one on the road if something goes wrong.
Fares: charge what the base quoted
Livery passengers usually agree on a price with the base before the trip. TLC's mandatory penalty rule treats charging above "the rate quoted by the For Hire Base for a prearranged trip" as overcharging, and an overcharge (or attempted overcharge) of $10 or more means revocation of your TLC Driver License, with possible repayment to the passenger (80-02(e)(1)). Smaller overcharges carry the mandatory penalty ladder: $350 or $500 the first time, and revocation by the third violation within 36 months.
If the trip changes (an extra stop, a long wait, a new destination), call the base and get the new price confirmed before you charge it. Our overcharging rules guide and passenger complaint summons guide explain how these cases usually start.
No street hails, no taxi stands
Only a green cab with a street hail livery license may take street hails, and only in the Hail Zone. For a livery car, a pickup without a dispatch from a licensed base is 80-19(c)(1), and in Manhattan below East 96th and West 110th Streets or at the airports the higher penalties of 80-19(c)(2) apply. Picking up at a taxi stand is a separate violation (80-19(d)(2): $350 for a first violation). Read unlicensed activity and street hails: these cases can also bring vehicle seizure under the Administrative Code.
Workers' compensation: the Livery Fund
Under rule 59B-12, every livery base must either belong to the Livery Fund or carry workers' compensation insurance for all drivers it dispatches, and independent livery bases must belong to the Livery Fund. If you are hurt on the job, ask your base which one covers it, and get that answer in writing. How a claim works is in livery drivers and workers' comp.
The livery industry in numbers
In 2025, livery trips averaged about 40,300 a day, and about 9,600 drivers made at least one livery trip in an average month (TLC Industry Indicators). TLC lists 190 livery bases (snapshot 2026-10-12). Drivers can work in more than one industry on the same license, so these counts can overlap with other industries.
When a summons arrives
Ask your base for the dispatch record and the quoted fare for the trip in question. Those two documents go to the heart of most fare and dispatch charges. Then check your deadline with the summons deadline calculator and read how to prepare for a TLC hearing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a livery car?
A for-hire vehicle affiliated with a livery base station. Livery bases dispatch only pre-arranged trips, use cars that carry fewer than six passengers, and charge by flat rate, time, mileage or zones (TLC chapter 51 definitions).
What signs must a livery car have?
The base's name, TLC license number and telephone number, in contrasting letters at least 1.5 inches high on both doors, or at least 1 inch high on the rear (or both). Missing or wrong signs are a $25 summons under rule 59A-29(g).
Can I charge more than the base quoted?
No. Charging or trying to charge more than the rate the base quoted for a pre-arranged trip is overcharging. If the overcharge is $10 or more, rule 80-02(e)(1) says your TLC Driver License will be revoked.
Can a livery car pick up someone on the street?
No. Only a green cab with a street hail livery license may take street hails, and only in the Hail Zone. A livery car taking a street pickup risks a summons under 80-19(c)(1) and unlicensed activity charges.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 51 (Definitions: Livery, Livery Base Station) nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 59 (For-Hire Service): §59A-29, §59B-12, §59C-03 nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 80 (Drivers) nyc.gov
- NYC Open Data: Current Bases data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: TLC Industry Indicators data.cityofnewyork.us
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.