Bronx TLC Guide: Westchester Fares, Hails & OATH 161st St

In short: The Bronx is the only borough that borders Westchester County, so a Bronx pickup is often one short ride from an out-of-city fare. TLC has strict rules for those trips. Westchester runs on the meter, with the outside-the-city part doubled. Most other out-of-city trips need a flat dollar price agreed before you leave. A taxi driver generally can't refuse a Westchester trip. If you get a summons, the OATH office is at 260 E. 161 Street, but it doesn't take payments.

This is general information, not legal advice. The rules quoted are in TLC's Chapter 80. These fare rules apply to yellow taxis and green cabs. App-based and other FHV trips are priced by the base or app.

How to charge a trip that leaves the city

The Westchester rule has the most steps. The meter must be on and recording for the whole trip. Telling the passenger when you cross the city line is a requirement, not a courtesy (80-17(f)(2)(iii)). TLC's fare page shows the out-of-city rate as Rate #04, with the 50-cent MTA surcharge and the $1.00 improvement surcharge. If the passenger disputes the fare later, an overcharge summons carries mandatory penalties: $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing or $500 if found guilty, for a first violation (80-17(a)(1)). Keep your trip record.

For trips past Westchester, such as to Connecticut, the opposite applies. You must agree a dollar amount before you start (80-17(f)(1)). Quoting "double the meter" breaks the rule even if the passenger agrees.

Can you say no to a Westchester trip?

As a taxi or green cab driver, usually no. Rule 80-20(a)(1) requires you to take a passenger to any destination in the city, Westchester or Nassau counties, or Newark Airport. Refusals carry mandatory penalties: $350 or $500 for a first violation, much more for repeats, and revocation on a third within 36 months.

TLC lists the reasons you may refuse in 80-20(b). One is aimed at exactly this trip. You may refuse a Westchester, Nassau or Newark Airport destination if you have been operating the vehicle for more than eight hours of any continuous 24-hour period (80-20(b)(8)). Others include ending your shift after you've logged off and locked both rear doors. "It's too far" or "I won't get a fare back" are not on the list. See TLC service refusal rules.

If a passenger disputes an out-of-city fare

A fare argument at the curb in Yonkers can become an overcharge or courtesy summons later if the passenger files a complaint. What protects you is the record, not the argument:

• Before the trip, say how the fare works: "meter inside the city, double outside, plus tolls both ways." The rule requires it, and it gives you something to point to later.
• At the city line, tell the passenger you've crossed it so they can check the meter.
• At the end, let the passenger see the meter and receipt. Stay calm. A discourtesy finding under 80-15(i) is $200 or $300 on its own.
• Afterwards, write down the date, time, pickup, destination and anything unusual while you still remember it.

If a summons arrives, see responding to a passenger complaint.

Picking up in the Bronx

The whole Bronx is in TLC's Hail Zone (Chapter 51). Green cabs can take hails and base trips anywhere in the borough. They just can't cruise for passengers within 100 feet of an authorized taxi stand (80-19(b)(2)(ii)). For the full rule set, see the green cab page, and for where pickups actually happen, Bronx taxi zones ranked.

App-based trips dominate here more than anywhere except Staten Island. Of about 31.7 million recorded Bronx pickups in 2025, 99.2% were high-volume (app) FHV trips. Yellow taxis made about 258,000 and green cabs about 11,500 (NYC Open Data, c5iv-bn4s). Those figures leave out black car, livery and limo trips that aren't app-based. FHV drivers may only pick up through their base (80-19(c)(1): $200–$350 for a first violation, revocation for a third within 36 months).

Your summons and the Bronx OATH office

OATH's Bronx Hearings Division office is at 260 E. 161 Street, 6th floor, Bronx, NY 10451. It's open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. You go there only if you ask for an in-person hearing at least five business days ahead and OATH assigns you to it (OATH). Most TLC hearings are by phone or online written defense (TLC).

OATH lists no in-person payments at the Bronx office. That's less of a problem than it sounds, because TLC penalties are paid to TLC, not OATH. Here's the path after a decision:

Details: paying TLC fines, TLC fine payment options, and our Queens page for the Long Island City office. If you plan to appeal, check appealing an OATH decision before you pay.