Official Websites and Apps for NYC Drivers (Avoid Fakes)

In short: The safe rule is simple: New York City agencies use addresses ending in nyc.gov, and the state uses ny.gov. For TLC business, start at nyc.gov/tlc and use LARS (pay summonses, renew) and TLC UP (upload documents). For tolls, the Port Authority says to use only EZPassNY.com, TollsByMailNY.com or the TollsNY app. Never pay through a link in a text message. The table below lists the real address and phone number for each service drivers use, checked on October 12, 2026.

Our scams guide explains how the common scams work. This page is the safe list to use instead.

The official directory

A few notes from the official pages:

• TLC Online is TLC's "online transactions hub." TLC describes LARS as the system where you can "plead guilty and pay summons(es), make a license renewal payment and more," and TLC UP as the place to "submit your documents to TLC" and see their status (TLC Online).
• TLC's contact page lists separate emails for settlements, payment plans, arrest or drug-test suspensions, prosecution questions and the Investigations Unit. Use the right one; see who's who in NYC for-hire for the full list.
• OATH says its Summons Finder does not currently show summonses issued to for-hire vehicles, and points to the OATH case status dataset on NYC Open Data instead (OATH home).
• TLC's driver resources page gives (888) 814-8590 for help activating BCF benefits, while the Drivers Benefits site shows 1-833-814-8590. Use the number on the site you are on, and if one doesn't work, try the other.

Real services that don't end in .gov

Not every official service uses a government address, and scammers know it. Several real ones in the table end in .com, .org or other endings: e-zpassny.com and tollsbymailny.com (tolls), nybcf.org (Black Car Fund, created by state law but not a government agency) and ny.driversbenefits.org. A few more that drivers use:

• NYC Care (low-cost care through NYC Health + Hospitals) is at nyccare.nyc, linked from TLC's driver resources page.
• NY State of Health, the state's official health plan marketplace, is at nystateofhealth.ny.gov, phone 1-855-355-5777.
• Unclaimed funds are searched through the NYS Comptroller at osc.state.ny.us (listed on TLC's resources page).
• Financial counseling appointments with NYC Financial Empowerment Centers are booked through a nyc.gov page (a866-dcwpwb.nyc.gov), as TLC's resources page shows.

The safest habit for these: reach them from a link on an official nyc.gov or ny.gov page, like TLC's Driver Resources page or the Port Authority's E-ZPass page, instead of from a search ad, a text or a social-media post. If a site asks for your TLC license number, Social Security number or card details and you didn't reach it that way, stop and check.

How to recognise look-alike sites and texts

Five checks before you type a password, license number or card number:

1. Read the end of the address, not the start. www.nyc.gov/site/tlc is real. nyc-gov-tlc.com or tlc.nyc.gov-pay.info are not: the part just before the first single / must be nyc.gov (or ny.gov for the state).
2. Long city addresses are normal. Real city services sometimes use addresses like a820-ecbticketfinder.nyc.gov or a860-openrecords.nyc.gov. What matters is that they end in .nyc.gov.
3. Don't follow payment links in texts. Type the address yourself or open the official app.
4. Check toll messages against your own account. Tolls are common: in TLC trip records from September 2025 to August 2026, a toll was recorded on about 11% of app trips and 7% of yellow taxi trips (chart below). So a toll text can look believable. Log in to your real E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail account to check.
5. Be careful with "help" pages in search ads. Look past the ads to the real address. For TLC, the safest start is to type nyc.gov/tlc.

Step by step: doing common tasks safely

Real TLC offices and phone numbers

Scammers sometimes give a fake office address or a "special" phone line. These are the ones TLC lists on its contact and locations pages:

• Long Island City (licensing appointments, cashier, settlement and payment-plan requests): 31-00 47th Avenue, 3rd floor. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
• Woodside (vehicle inspections): 24-55 BQE West, Woodside, NY 11377. Inspection information: (718) 267-4559.
• Manhattan headquarters: 33 Beaver Street, by appointment only.
• Licensee information line: (718) 391-5501.

TLC offices close on city holidays; the contact page lists the 2026 dates. TLC hearings are not held at these offices: they are run by OATH, and your summons says when and how yours takes place.

Mistakes that cost drivers money or points

• Paying a "toll" on a fake site. You lose the money and may hand over your card, and the real bill, if any, is still unpaid.
• Giving your TLC or app login to a "support" caller. Letting someone else use your TLC license or Technology System login is TLC rule 80-11(e): a $10,000 fine and revocation.
• Missing a hearing because you searched the wrong site. The hearing date is on your summons. If you can't find an FHV summons in the Summons Finder, that is expected; use OATH's Open Data dataset or contact TLC's Prosecution Unit (Prosecutioninquiries@tlc.nyc.gov).
• Paying someone to "fix" a summons through an unofficial website. Settlements and payments go through TLC (LARS, Settlements@tlc.nyc.gov) or OATH. Lawyers and registered representatives can help, but payment goes to the city.

Where to get help

If you think you entered information on a fake site: change your passwords, contact your bank, and call the real agency using the number on its official site. Report toll text scams as the Port Authority advises: don't click, and use the official channels. For help choosing a representative for a hearing, see free legal help for drivers.

Related: is the NY Toll Services text a scam, toll bridge or free route with a passenger, e-hail apps for NYC taxis, TLC driver pre-shift checklist, TLC Factbook and reports, OATH hearing prep checklist, FHV license cap statistics, TLC summons statistics and the rights topic.