Storms, Travel Bans & Emergencies: A TLC Driver Guide

In short: TLC has no standing weather rule — in a storm you decide whether it is safe to drive. What can stop you is an emergency executive order from the Mayor, such as a travel ban or curfew. Those orders list who may still drive. In the February 2026 blizzard, the order closed city streets from 9 PM Sunday, February 22 to noon Monday, February 23, but allowed for-hire vehicles carrying exempt workers and vehicles taking people to medical care. Breaking such an order knowingly was a class B misdemeanor. Sign up for Notify NYC and the TLC WhatsApp channel so you hear about orders as soon as they are issued.

Every emergency is different, so this guide does not invent rules. It shows how past orders and TLC notices actually worked, where official announcements appear, and how to prepare.

Who makes the rules in an emergency

We searched TLC's rule chapters for drivers (80), taxis (58), for-hire vehicles (59) and definitions (51) for "weather", "snow", "storm" and "emergency declaration" and found no rule that limits driving in bad weather (checked 2026-10-12). In practice:

• The Mayor issues emergency executive orders that can close streets, set curfews and list exemptions.
• TLC issues industry notices that explain how an order applies to taxis and for-hire vehicles, and announces office closures and rescheduled appointments.
• Your usual TLC rules still apply during an emergency: traffic rules, service-refusal rules and fare rules don't pause because it is snowing.

What past orders and notices said

The 2026 blizzard order, line by line

Emergency Executive Order No. 3, dated February 22, 2026, declared a local state of emergency for a severe snowstorm. Section 1 closed "the streets, highways, bridges, and tunnels" to vehicles from 9 p.m. Sunday, February 22 until 12 p.m. Monday, February 23. Section 2 listed who could still drive. The parts that matter most to TLC drivers:

• (e) vehicles taking people to and from work at government offices, medical facilities, pharmacies, grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, laundromats, news media, food and hospitality businesses, hotels and hardware stores;
• (f) vehicles taking people to hospitals or other medical facilities for care;
• (g) vehicles taking people to court;
• (h) "any other vehicles, including for hire vehicles, used to transport persons employed to perform any of the services described in this section to and from their places of employment".

The order said questions about exemptions should go to 311, and that anyone who knowingly violates it is guilty of a class B misdemeanor (section 8). It also closed City offices to in-person services and suspended alternate side parking on February 23.

What this means in practice: the exemptions describe who is being carried and why. Cruising for fares is not on the list, and an app sending you a request does not make the trip exempt — you are the one on the road. If you are unsure whether a trip fits, ask 311 before you drive. Another order may word things differently, so read the actual order each time.

The 2020 curfew: taxis and FHVs were treated differently

Industry Notice 20-04 applied the Mayor's Emergency Executive Order No. 119. From June 3 to 8, 2020, all FHV service was suspended from 8 PM to 12:30 AM daily, then could resume at 12:30 AM for essential workers and people seeking medical treatment or supplies. Yellow and green taxis could operate through the whole 8 PM–5 AM curfew, but only while carrying those passengers, and passengers might have to give the NYPD a reason for traveling. The lesson: never assume a rule for one license type applies to yours.

What a travel ban does to trips

The TLC trip records show how deep the drop is. On Monday, February 23, 2026 — the morning the ban was in force — total yellow, green and app trips fell to 186,916, the lowest day in the 12 months of data, compared with 675,247 the Monday before.

The full year, with holidays and other low days, is below. A low day is not proof of a ban — weather alone, holidays and app outages also cut trips.

More on demand around holidays and storms: NYC taxi and Uber demand on holidays.

If a storm hits during a trip

No TLC rule tells you what to do mid-trip when a ban starts. Use the rules you already know: if going on is unsafe, pull over somewhere safe, talk with your passenger, and contact your base or app support (call 911 if anyone is in danger); keep the meter or app record accurate; and don't charge anything the fare rules don't allow (see TLC overcharging rules). If a crash happens on icy roads, your normal reporting duties apply — see crash reporting for TLC drivers.

Get official alerts before you head out

• Notify NYC is the City's free, official emergency alert service (NYC Emergency Management). Text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 for the highest-level alerts, then reply with your ZIP code for local ones; or use the app, register at nyc.gov/notifynyc, or call 311. Emergency Alerts are automatic; you can add Major Traffic Disruptions (closures or big delays on roads, bridges and tunnels), Weather Notifications and Emergency Parking Suspension (Notify NYC FAQ). The FAQ warns that carriers don't guarantee text delivery, so use more than one channel.
• NYC Severe Weather at nyc.gov/site/weatherupdates collects the City's storm updates. TLC's 2021 notice sent drivers there for "official storm updates".
• TLC's WhatsApp channel: search "TLC Driver Broadcast Channel" or go to on.nyc.gov/TLCWhatsApp (TLC home page). TLC also posts office closings on its home page.
• Your app or base may pause service or send its own messages, but an app message is not the law — the executive order is.

Bookmark the real addresses; storm season brings fake alert texts too. See official websites for NYC drivers.

Before a storm: a short checklist

Get your car ready the same way you would for any shift with our pre-shift checklist, and keep your E-ZPass mounted — TLC rule 80-15(d) requires an E-ZPass tag in every taxi and for-hire vehicle, storm or not.