Know Your Rights: NYC TLC Drivers at a Glance

In short: as a NYC TLC driver you have a minimum pay per app trip, protection from surprise app lockouts, paid sick leave from Uber and Lyft, caps on what a taxi fleet can charge you, the right to be paid by your base within a week, protection from retaliation, protection from discrimination, and workers' comp on dispatched app and black car trips. The new city deactivation law is not one of them yet: a federal court blocked it in July 2026.

This page lists each right in one row, with the rule or law behind it, whether it is in force, and who enforces it. Each row links to a deeper page. Everything was checked against the official source on October 12, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.

Your rights in one table

Pay and app access (Uber and Lyft drivers)

The pay floor. TLC rule §59D-22 sets a minimum the company must pay you for each trip, based on the miles and minutes you carry a passenger. From March 1, 2026 the published rates are $1.283 per mile and $0.681 per minute for non-wheelchair-accessible trips and $1.601 per mile and $0.681 per minute for WAV trips, with higher per-mile rates for the part of a trip outside the city (TLC driver pay rates; rates as of 2026-10-12). It is a minimum per trip, not an hourly wage, and tips come on top. The rates go up each March 1 with inflation. Details: FHV driver minimum pay.

Lockouts. Since August 1, 2025, §59D-22(c) says the company must give you 72 hours' notice before it restricts your ability to accept trips on a calendar day, and once you go online it must let you stay available for at least 16 hours. If you have been offline for 8 hours in a row, the 16 hours restart. The company may restrict you without notice for missing licensing credentials, TLC rule violations, or breaking its own rules, which the rule says includes "misconduct and excessive cancellation or non-acceptance of dispatches." The fine to the company is $500 per violation.

Deactivation is different from a lockout. A lockout limits a day; a deactivation removes your account. The TLC lockout rule is not a deactivation appeal. The city's new deactivation law, Local Law 52 of 2026, was enacted on January 29, 2026, when the Council overrode the Mayor's veto (Legistar). It would require just cause and 14 days' notice, with complaints to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). But in July 2026 a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the city from enforcing it, before its July 28 start date (Reuters via Insurance Journal). This law is on hold. Until a court says otherwise, the app's own appeal process is what applies. Re-check before relying on it; see TLC rule changes in 2026.

Paid sick leave. The NY Attorney General's November 2023 settlements with Uber and Lyft give drivers one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours a year, requested through the app (AG press release). The NYC rate started at $17 an hour and is adjusted each year; Uber's NYC benefits page says one hour redeems for $18.58 as of March 1, 2026. We have not seen Lyft's current rate on a Lyft page. The same settlements said drivers can appeal all deactivations and must see what the rider paid after each trip.

Leases, bases and money (taxi and FHV drivers)

Taxi lease caps. TLC's taxi driver bill of rights poster sets daily and weekly maximums. For a standard vehicle, a day shift is capped at $105 and a weekly day lease at $630; night shifts run $115 to $129 depending on the day. Hybrids add $3 a shift. The full grid, permitted extras (such as a credit card surcharge of up to $7 a shift or $49 a week) and banned charges are on taxi lease caps.

Base agreements. Under §59B-18(f), a base may only charge fees written in your base agreement, may not ask for or accept a tip, and must pay your earnings for every trip within one week (franchise and co-op bases have narrow exceptions that do not apply to Uber or Lyft). Missing money is a case for the Driver Protection Unit.

Summonses that aren't yours. Your owner or base generally can't make you pay a summons written to them. See can my base make me pay a summons for the exceptions.

No retaliation. Taxi owners (§58-21(j), for complaints about leasing violations), FHV owners (§59A-13(m)), bases (§59B-13(n)) and high-volume companies (§59D-10(l)) must not retaliate against a driver for a good-faith complaint. TLC says "retaliation" is "broadly construed": any bad consequence, or taking away something good, counts. The penalty is $1,000 plus restitution, and $10,000 plus restitution for a second violation within five years. More on can my owner or base retaliate.

Discrimination, safety and language

Discrimination. The NYC Human Rights Law protects you in employment, housing and public places. Since Local Law 172 of 2019, its employee protections also apply to independent contractors, so app and base drivers who work as independent contractors are protected against discrimination by the companies they work for. See NYC Human Rights Law for drivers and how to file a complaint.

If you are attacked. Call 911. TLC's driver resources page says drivers who are victims of verbal or physical attack can report to inclusion@tlc.nyc.gov for help with police reports, hate-crime complaints and the NYS Office of Victim Services.

Injury. On trips dispatched by a Black Car Fund member base (this includes Uber and Lyft), the BCF is your workers' comp insurer: how to file a claim. Taxi posters say taxi drivers may also file for workers' compensation if hurt on the job.

Language. TLC's language access page says it provides free interpretation and that you can complain anonymously, "regardless of your immigration status," through its Language Access Coordinator or 311. More for newcomers: immigrant drivers' guide.

Which rights apply to you?

Help contacts

• TLC Driver Protection Unit (pay, leases, deposits, lockouts, retaliation): (718) 391-5539, driverprotection@tlc.nyc.gov.
• NYC Commission on Human Rights (discrimination): 311 or 212-416-0197.
• Black Car Fund (injury on a dispatched trip): 212-269-4800, press 1.
• TLC victim services: inclusion@tlc.nyc.gov. Emergencies: 911.

Not sure where your problem goes? Use the driver help finder. Your duties matter too: see what you have to report to TLC and do I have to show my TLC license when asked. Health coverage changed mid-2026 for many drivers: see the 2026 Essential Plan change. Browse everything on the driver rights hub.