The Taxi Improvement Fund (TIF) is a City-managed pot of money that pays people who put wheelchair accessible taxis on the road and drive them. It is filled by the Taxicab Improvement Surcharge, "the surcharge of $1.00 per trip that will be added to every taxicab trip" (35 RCNY 51-03). TLC's taxi fare page lists the same $1.00 improvement surcharge (TLC Help rate file, as of 2026-10-12). Green cabs have a twin fund, the Street Hail Livery Improvement Fund.
TLC created the fund by rule in 2014 to help the taxi fleet become wheelchair accessible. Accessible vans cost more to buy and run, and since a 2024 court order every new taxi hack-up must be accessible. By March 2026 TLC counted more than 6,300 accessible taxis, over 58% of the active fleet (TLC testimony, March 17, 2026).
How the dollar moves
Owner amounts are from TLC's TIF Owner Program page; the driver amount is from its TIF drivers page, which says the old $1-per-trip driver payments ended on April 25, 2025.
The fund in 2025
The surcharge was $0.30 from January 1, 2015 and rose to $1 in December 2022. TLC's 2025 report says the fund would have run out of money by the end of 2025 under the old payments, so TLC cut driver and operational payments and ended the separate accessible dispatch contract. It concluded that no surcharge change "is required at this time" (TIF report 2025).
Where drivers see it
- On every receipt as the $1.00 improvement surcharge. Explained in what is the taxi improvement surcharge.
- In your lease. The owner keeps the surcharge passengers pay (Driver Bill of Rights posters), and rule 58-21(c)(5)(xii) lists it among the few amounts an owner may collect from you on top of the lease cap. Medallion-only and DOV drivers get a $77/week credit while the owner receives TIF accessible payments (58-21(c)(3)–(4)).
- On summonses. Owners can be charged for unpaid surcharges (58-16(f)(3)); the green cab version is 82-17(g)(2).
Full program details: Taxi Improvement Fund grants. Year-by-year data: TIF statistics. Brokers and buyers should check unpaid surcharges before a sale: see taxicab broker. More on the medallions hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Taxi Improvement Fund?
A City-managed fund paid for by the Taxicab Improvement Surcharge, a $1.00 charge on every yellow taxi trip. It pays grants to medallion owners who put wheelchair accessible taxis on the road and payments to drivers of those taxis (35 RCNY 51-03).
Who pays the $1.00 improvement surcharge?
The passenger. It is added to the fare. The driver does not keep it: TLC's Driver Bill of Rights posters say owners must keep all Taxi Improvement Fund surcharges, and technology providers remit them to the fund.
Do drivers still get $1 per trip in an accessible taxi?
No. TLC says the final $1-per-trip driver payments ended on April 25, 2025. Drivers of accessible taxis now get $10 for each trip requested by phone through an approved e-hail provider's call center.
How much does the fund take in?
TLC reports $46,233,261 in TIF collections for 2025, plus $587,211 for the green cab (SHL) fund, $331.4 million in total since 2015.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 51 (Definitions: Taxicab Improvement Fund, Taxicab Improvement Surcharge) nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 58 (58-16(f), 58-50) nyc.gov
- Taxicab and SHL Improvement Funds Report for 2025 nyc.gov
- TLC: Taxi Improvement Fund Owner Program nyc.gov
- TLC: Drivers of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (TIF) nyc.gov
- NYC TLC: Taxi Fare nyc.gov
- TLC Preliminary Budget testimony, March 17, 2026 nyc.gov
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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.