TLC Rule Changes in 2026: What Drivers Need to Know

In short: so far in 2026, Uber and Lyft minimum pay rose 3.36% (March 1), required PIP insurance dropped to $100,000 (March 1), Accessible Dispatch ended and WAV taxi trips moved to e-hail apps (March 1), and TLC kept the FHV license cap (only WAV licenses). The city's deactivation law passed but is blocked by a federal court. Two packages that would cut fees and fines for drivers and change driver education rules are proposed, not yet in effect as of October 12, 2026.

This is a running changelog. Each item has its date and source; "proposed" means TLC has published it but we have not seen it adopted. For last year's twelve packages, see TLC rule changes in 2025.

Changes with dates

In force now

Uber and Lyft pay. Under rule 59D-22(a)(4), rates adjust each year with inflation. The March 1, 2026 increase of 3.36% set in-city rates at $1.283 per mile and $0.681 per minute for non-WAV trips and $1.601 per mile and $0.681 per minute for WAV trips; for miles outside the city, $1.757 (non-WAV) or $2.193 (WAV) per mile and $0.725 per minute (Industry Notice 26-03; rates as of 2026-10-12). Questions go to the Driver Protection Unit at (718) 391-5539. See FHV driver minimum pay and Uber and Lyft drivers.

PIP insurance. Adopted September 17, 2025 and effective March 1, 2026: required personal injury protection for TLC vehicles dropped from $200,000 to $100,000, which TLC's Annual Report says was meant to address rising insurance costs.

Accessible taxi trips. Industry Notice 26-02 says that from March 1, 2026, all WAV taxi trips that used to go through the Accessible Dispatch Program are dispatched through the Accessible E-Hail Program (Arro, Curb, Myle), and MTM is no longer a provider. Passengers can call 646-599-9999. WAV drivers earn a $10 bonus per hotline trip if enrolled in the Taxi Improvement Fund. See accessible taxi trips.

FHV license cap. TLC's February 2026 review found "additional for-hire vehicle licenses would not be beneficial to the industry and the city as a whole at this time." You can still apply for a WAV-restricted license.

Enacted but blocked

Local Law 52 of 2026 would require Uber and Lyft to have just cause and give 14 days' notice before deactivating a driver, with complaints to the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. It was enacted January 29, 2026. In July 2026 a federal judge in Manhattan granted Uber and Lyft a preliminary injunction, ruling they are likely to succeed in their challenge, and blocked the city from enforcing it (Reuters via Insurance Journal). This law is on hold. Until a court says otherwise, the app's own appeal process is what applies. Check for news before relying on it; see know your rights.

Proposed: not in effect yet

Until TLC lists a package as adopted on its Newly Passed Rules page, the current rules and fees apply. For example, today a license replacement still costs $25 and a late interim drug test still means suspension plus a $200 fine if you test 30 or more days late.

Why TLC proposed the fee and fine cuts

The proposal's Statement of Basis and Purpose ties it to Executive Order 11 (January 14, 2026), which told city agencies to review fees and penalties on small businesses, and it notes that many TLC licensees, such as drivers and vehicle owners, are small businesses. TLC's reasoning on the drug-test fine is worth reading: drivers who miss the annual test are already suspended until they pass, so the $200 fine is "an additional and unnecessary burden on the driver with minimal disincentive value." It uses the same logic for missed inspections, where suspension until compliance would remain the penalty. On the medallion side, the August proposal would let an owner (or the owner's estate) who received an MRP+ grant transfer the medallion to a spouse, partner or child, if the lender approves the family member and any missed loan payments are brought up to date. The version posted for the September vote, revised after public comments, would also allow transfers to extended family members when there is no immediate family member.

Step by step: does a change apply to you yet?

1. Find the source. Every real TLC change has an industry notice, an adopted rule PDF, or a new rule book page. Social media posts are not a source.
2. Check the status. Is it listed on the Newly Passed Rules page as adopted, or only on the proposed rules page?
3. Check the effective date. Adopted rules often start weeks later; the 2025 table in our 2025 guide shows gaps from a few days to about eleven months.
4. Check who it covers. Many rules apply only to one license type, such as HV drivers, WAV vehicles, or medallion owners.
5. For a summons, check which version of the rule was in force on the violation date, and ask a lawyer if a change happened in between.

Who is affected

• Uber and Lyft drivers: pay increase; the deactivation law is blocked; the proposed drug-test and license changes would apply to you.
• Yellow and green taxi drivers: WAV e-hail changes if you drive a WAV; proposed fee and fine cuts.
• New applicants: the education proposal would end conditional approval and limit exam attempts. Plan to finish the course before you expect your license.
• Medallion owners: MRP+ transfer changes (proposed), ATLAS extension, new rate cards.
• FHV owners: PIP change; FHV cap; proposed end of missed-inspection fines.

How to comment on a proposal

Every TLC proposal starts with the same notice. For the August 2026 package, TLC listed these ways to comment:

1. Online at nyc.gov/nycrules.
2. Email tlcrules@tlc.nyc.gov.
3. Mail to TLC, Office of Legal Affairs, 33 Beaver Street, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10004.
4. Fax 212-313-3027.
5. Speak at the hearing for up to three minutes. You must sign up by email or at 212-676-1135 by 5:00pm the day before; you can't sign up on the day.

Written comments are due by the hearing date. The full process, from proposal to vote, is in how TLC makes rules.

Other 2026 changes that touch drivers

Not every change comes from TLC. The IRS business mileage rate changed mid-year (see IRS mileage rate history); health coverage rules changed on July 1 (see the 2026 Essential Plan change); and toll changes are tracked in the NYC toll changes timeline. Newer drivers may also want the immigrant drivers' guide. Everything else is on the driver rights hub.