An app lockout is when a ride-hail app such as Uber or Lyft stops a driver from logging in or accepting trips for a period of time, even though the driver's account is still open. In NYC, TLC rule 35 RCNY §59D-22(c) limits lockouts: the app must give 72 hours' notice before blocking you for a calendar day, and must let you stay online 16 hours after you first go online, with three exceptions.
Where the term comes from
TLC adopted the rule on June 25, 2025, and it took effect on August 1, 2025. The rule text itself doesn't use the word "lockout"; it talks about a company that "will restrict that Driver's ability to accept dispatches." TLC's statement explaining the rule uses "lockouts," and describes "mid-shift lockouts" in which drivers "are periodically and unpredictably logged off by the companies." TLC says the companies used such restrictions "at least twice, in 2019 and in 2024" (TLC adopted rule).
TLC's February 2026 License Pause Report describes lockouts as a practice that "prevented drivers from logging into the platforms in order to circumvent the minimum pay rules," with some drivers reporting "a loss of nearly half their income."
Where drivers see it
- A message that you can't go online today, or that you can't go online because of demand or the number of drivers online.
- Being logged off mid-shift after doing trips.
- A restriction for cancellations or declined trips, which the rule allows without notice as a company-policy violation.
The exceptions to the notice rule are lack of licensing credentials, violation of TLC rules, and violation of the company's rules and policies "including misconduct and excessive cancellation or non-acceptance of dispatches."
Related terms
- Deactivation: the app removes your account. Not covered by the lockout rule. See is a lockout the same as a deactivation.
- High-Volume For-Hire Service: TLC's term for app companies like Uber and Lyft, the companies the lockout rule applies to.
- Utilization rate: the share of drivers' online time spent with passengers. TLC said lockouts were used to raise it, which is why the lockout rule sits in the driver pay rules.
- Excessive cancellation: see can too many cancellations get me locked out.
More for app drivers: Uber and Lyft drivers and the apps topic.
Frequently asked questions
Is 'lockout' a word in the TLC rule?
The rule text calls it a restriction of a driver's 'ability to accept dispatches.' TLC's own explanations of the rule use the word 'lockouts,' including 'mid-shift lockouts.'
Does the lockout rule apply to taxi drivers?
No. Section 59D-22(c) applies to High-Volume For-Hire Services, the app companies such as Uber and Lyft.
Is a lockout a deactivation?
No. A lockout limits when you can work; a deactivation removes your account. NYC's blocked deactivation law would count blocks of 72 hours or more in a row as deactivations.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- TLC adopted rule: driver access to HV apps (35 RCNY 59D-22(c)), adopted June 25, 2025 rules.cityofnewyork.us
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 59 (current) nyc.gov
- TLC License Pause Report (February 2026) nyc.gov
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