Double-Shift Insurance

Double-shift insurance is the insurance coverage a yellow taxi must carry when it is driven on more than one shift a day. TLC rule §58-13(d)(2) says: "A Taxicab Fleet or Minifleet as well as an Independent Owner operating more than one shift daily must maintain double shift insurance coverage." TLC's rules don't define the phrase any further, so in practice it is the insurer who writes the policy as double-shift; ask yours to say so in writing.

One sentence: if a medallion taxi works day and night, its policy has to be written for two shifts.

Who must have it

The rest of the taxi insurance rule

Double-shift coverage sits on top of the basic taxi minimums in §58-13(d)(1): $100,000 per person for no-fault (personal injury protection) expenses, $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury liability, and $10,000 property damage. Other parts of the same rule:

• 24/7, no limits: policies "cannot have any limitations or restrictions on location or timeframes of coverage" (§58-13(d)(3)).
• Approved form, New York insurer: the policy must be approved as to form by TLC and issued by a company authorized to do business in New York (§58-13(d)).
• 72-hour notice: tell TLC in writing within 72 hours of a cancellation notice, a change of carrier or a change of policy number (§58-13(c); $100).

Where drivers run into it

Most drivers never buy this insurance — the owner does. You meet it when you lease. If you lease a medallion together with a car you are buying (a "DOV" or conditional-purchase lease), the lease payment must already include "Insurance required by Section 58-13" (§58-21(c)(4)(v)). If you share a cab with another driver on the opposite shift, the cab is running two shifts, so the owner's policy needs to be double-shift. See taxi lease caps and lease-to-own.

Example

An owner-driver holds one independent medallion and drives days. To earn more from the cab, the owner leases the night shift to a second driver. The cab now runs two shifts a day, so under §58-13(d)(2) the owner must switch to double-shift coverage before the night driver starts.

Related terms

• FH-1 — the insurance certificate TLC keeps on file. How to send a new one: how do I send new insurance to TLC?
• Medallion — the taxi license the rule attaches to.
• FHVs have no double-shift rule but must be covered 24/7 regardless of use (§59A-12(c)(5)); see do I need rideshare insurance for Uber in NYC?.
• Which companies insure TLC vehicles: TLC insurance market share and FHV insurance carriers explained.