TLC Driver Education Courses: 24-Hour Course, Exam & More

TLC has several courses, and which ones you need depends on where you are: new applicants take the 24-hour TLC Driver License Education Course, Passenger Assistance and WAV training, and pass the TLC exam; renewing drivers take a shorter renewal course every three years; and drivers convicted of certain violations must take a remedial course within 60 days. All of them except defensive driving are taken at a TLC-authorized school (§80-04(j)). This page is the map.

Prices come from TLC's licensing and renewal pages; schools set their own fees, so confirm before you pay.

The 24-hour new-driver course

The TLC Driver License Education Course is three 8-hour days in a classroom (TLC Driver Education). It is for applicants who will drive yellow taxis, green cabs or for-hire vehicles (black car, livery, app-based). Commuter van and paratransit drivers don't take it.

What it covers: TLC's online systems (LARS and TLC UP), license requirements, vehicle rules and maintenance, professionalism and customer service, preventing service refusals, legal compliance and safe driving. Classes run in Arabic, Bengali, English, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Urdu.

Registration timing matters. You need a TLC application number before you can register. TLC says to register at least 5 days before your application expires, schools won't register you after day 85, and TLC recommends finishing the course at least 60 days before the application expires — so you have time for the exam. If you miss the 90 days, TLC denies the application and keeps the fee (how to get a TLC license).

The TLC Driver License Exam

After the course, PSI emails you a link to book the exam.

Bring your state-issued DMV license and fill out TLC's sign-in registration form at the center. TLC lists test centers in all five boroughs (PSI in the Bronx and Brooklyn, Brainseed in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, and New View in the Bronx). You must pass at least 3 days before your application expires.

How to prepare: TLC publishes a free study guide and tutorial videos in seven languages, and the PSI candidate bulletin. TLC also suggests finishing WAV training before the exam for a better score. Cheating has a price: being disqualified from the exam starts a three-year ban on applying (§80-08(c)(1)(v)).

TLC's page doesn't state a retake waiting period; ask your school or PSI.

Passenger Assistance and WAV training

At least 3 hours of class and a 1-hour hands-on assessment where you physically secure a wheelchair user in an accessible vehicle. It's required for new licenses, and the renewal course repeats the hands-on part. Details and the securement steps: WAV training for TLC drivers.

The renewal course

Every three years, within the 90 days before your license expires. About 3 hours of class (TLC systems, rules, dealing with law enforcement and summonses, EV policies, bribery prevention, Vision Zero, anti-discrimination, assisting passengers with vision or hearing impairments) and about 1 hour of hands-on wheelchair securement. No exam, and no waivers. See TLC license renewal.

Remedial courses after a summons

Some convictions come with a required course:

• Distracted Driving / Portable Electronic Device (PED) course — about 2 hours, within 60 days of a conviction for using a phone or other device while driving (§80-04(j)(5)). See TLC cell phone rule.
• Vision Zero and Accessibility Remedial Education course — about 3 hours, within 60 days of a third conviction under §80-13(a)(1) (stationary vehicle laws) or §80-13(a)(2) (moving violations) in 15 months (§80-04(j)(8)). For a third violation the rule also imposes a suspension, deferred for 60 days — finish the course in time and you are not suspended. See rule 80-13(a)(2).
• Point Reduction Course — voluntary. Finishing it before a Persistent Violator summons is decided lets TLC subtract 3 TLC points (once every five years) — see defensive driving and point credit.

Choosing a school

All courses except defensive driving must be taken at a TLC Authorized Driver Education Services Provider (§80-04(k)). TLC's Driver Education page links lists of authorized schools by borough. Before you register, ask the school:

• which language the class is taught in and on which dates;
• the total price, including materials, and the refund policy if you miss a day;
• whether the WAV hands-on part is done on site and with which vehicle model;
• how and when they report your completion to TLC.

Avoid anyone who offers a certificate without attendance or "guaranteed" exam answers. Material misrepresentation and exam disqualification are grounds for denial and a three-year ban (§80-08(c)(1)).

Language help

The 24-hour course runs in seven languages, and TLC's free study guides and exam tutorial videos come in Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. If English is not your first language, study the guide in your language first, then read the English version so the exam wording looks familiar.

Exam day

Arrive early with your state-issued DMV license. The test is on a computer and covers what the course teaches: TLC rules, licensing duties, passenger service, accessibility and safe driving. Read each question fully — many test exact rules, such as when a driver may refuse a trip or what a summons requires. If you don't pass, ask PSI how to rebook; each attempt costs $49 under TLC's fee list, and you must pass at least three days before the 90-day application window ends.

After licensing: why the courses keep coming back

Licensing isn't the last course. Every three years you take the renewal course, and a remedial course can be ordered after certain convictions. Keep your course certificates in one folder with your defensive driving certificate, so you can prove completion quickly if TLC UP shows an item missing.

Who can skip the 24-hour course

When you're licensed and something goes wrong, we can help. Scan a summons or browse the licensing hub.