NYC Taxi Fare History: How the Meter Changed Since 2012

In short: The NYC yellow taxi meter rate changed once between September 2012 and today: in December 2022, when the start charge went from $2.50 to $3.00, each unit from 50 to 70 cents, the JFK flat fare from $52 to $70, and several surcharges rose. Around that, three new charges were added: the Taxi Improvement Surcharge (30 cents from January 1, 2015, $1 since December 2022), the New York State congestion surcharge (from February 2, 2019), and the MTA Congestion Relief Zone toll of 75 cents (from January 5, 2025). Rates below are as of October 12, 2026.

This page tracks what changed and when. For how today's fare adds up, see every charge on a NYC taxi fare.

The current fare

The timeline

The December 2022 changes, item by item

TLC's Notice of Promulgation lists every change. It amended rules 51-03, 58-26 (yellow taxis) and 82-26 (green cabs):

Why TLC did it: the rule says the industry had "gone through marked changes" since 2012, including more for-hire vehicles, shifting driver availability and the pandemic, and that the increases aimed at "putting more money in the pockets of drivers." It also raised the TIF surcharge to keep the accessible-taxi fund solvent. TLC's TIF Report 2025 explains that by 2021 taxi trips were down 64% from 2019, so "the TIF surcharge was raised to $1 per taxicab trip in December 2022."

Using 2019 as a baseline, TLC projected that the metered-rate change alone would raise average passenger fares by 22.9%, driver revenue by 33.3% and medallion revenue by 29.5%. One more detail from the rule: TLC first proposed a $65 JFK flat fare and moved it to $70 after public comments.

The 2019 congestion surcharge

The New York State congestion surcharge is a state tax under Tax Law Article 29-C, not a TLC fare. The State Tax Department's Notice N-19-2 says a court lifted a temporary restraining order on January 31, 2019, so "all persons subject to the surcharge must begin to collect the surcharge from passengers beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, February 2, 2019." Today it is $2.50 for a yellow taxi trip, $2.75 for green cabs and FHVs and 75 cents for a shared ride, on trips that begin, end or pass through Manhattan south of 96th Street (TLC Taxi Fare). The passenger pays it; whether a driver does is answered in does a taxi driver pay the congestion surcharge.

The 2025 Congestion Relief Zone toll

From January 5, 2025, the MTA's congestion pricing program added a per-trip charge: 75 cents for yellow and green taxis and $1.50 for high-volume (app) trips. It applies in the zone of Manhattan south of and including 60th Street, excluding the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street. It is separate from the 2019 state surcharge, and the zone line is different (60th Street, not 96th). Details: congestion pricing for TLC drivers.

How a fare change happens

Taxi fares are not set by the market or by the cab company. Under sections 2303 and 2304 of the City Charter, TLC sets the "rates of fare" by rule, after hearings. The 2022 change shows the steps, all listed in the rule itself:

1. May 23, 2022: TLC held a hearing on rates of fare and took testimony.
2. September 6, 2022: the proposed rule was published in the City Record for public comment.
3. October 6, 2022: a public hearing on the proposal, held virtually.
4. November 15, 2022: the Commission voted to adopt it, with the JFK flat fare raised to $70 instead of the proposed $65.
5. December 2022: the new rates took effect on the meters.

TLC said it looked at "driver compensation and passenger fares, average wait times for drivers, average metered fares, and changes in the Consumer Price Index since the previous fare adjustment." If TLC proposes another fare change, it would go through the same kind of notice and hearing, and drivers can testify. How that works: how TLC makes rules.

Green cabs follow the same history. Their meter rate is in rule 82-26, and the 2022 rule changed it in the same way as the yellow taxi rate in 58-26.

What it did to the average trip

TLC's monthly indicators report "farebox per day" (everything collected from fares, surcharges, taxes and tolls, but not credit-card tips) and trips per day. Dividing one by the other gives an average amount collected per yellow taxi trip. The 2019 step matches the start of the congestion surcharge; the 2023 jump matches the December 2022 fare rule:

Month by month, the change shows up clearly: about $19.32 collected per trip in November 2022, $21.58 in December 2022 (the month the new fares took effect) and $23.69 in January 2023. The figure also moves with trip length, tolls and traffic, so it is a signal, not a fare. More detail: yellow taxi fare per trip statistics.

For the last twelve months of trip records, the metered fare alone (before surcharges, tolls and tips) averaged between about $19.50 and $22.50 per yellow trip, month by month:

What has not changed

Some rules held steady through all of this. TLC's fare page still says there is no charge for extra passengers, luggage or bags, or paying by credit card. The MTA State Surcharge is 50 cents. Trips to Westchester and Nassau still run on the double meter beyond the city line (Rate #4), and other out-of-city trips use a negotiated flat fare (Rate #5); see taxi trips outside NYC.

Tips for drivers

• Let the meter do the math. Since 2022 the meter applies the $3.00 start and 70-cent units automatically. Surcharges and the rate code (Rate #01 standard, #02 JFK, #03 Newark, #04 Westchester/Nassau, #05 negotiated) show on the screen.
• Check the rate code on airport trips. A JFK–Manhattan trip should show the flat fare; a JFK trip to Brooklyn or Queens is metered.
• Old receipts are not proof of today's fare. If a passenger argues about a price from before December 2022, the current rate card in the cab is what counts.

Related: taxi fare estimator, JFK flat fare: what drivers charge, NYC toll changes timeline, TLC rule changes in 2025, TLC minimum pay rate history, IRS mileage rate history, can a passenger change the destination, do taxis have to go to Newark Airport and the passengers topic.