My Fleet Won't Return My Security Deposit

You can make them pay it back. A taxi owner must return your security deposit within 30 days after the lease ends, give you a written list of anything taken out, and may deduct only a short list of items. For an FHV (Uber/Lyft car) lease, the lease itself must state when the deposit comes back, and that date can't be more than 30 days after the lease ends. If it isn't returned, complain to TLC's Driver Protection Unit; at a hearing, the judge must order the owner to pay you back.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Taxi leases: rule 58-21(e)

Chapter 58 sets out the deposit rules for yellow taxi leases in detail:

Two examples straight from the rule: a one-shift lease at $80 can require at most an $80 deposit; an owner who leases a taxi "for six months at the rate of $2,000 a month can require up to a $500 security deposit." TLC's driver pay FAQ adds that owners "must now pay drivers what they are owed when drivers are charged a security deposit in excess of the amount permitted by TLC rules."

One exception: these deposit rules don't apply where your relationship with the owner is governed by a collective bargaining agreement that covers deposits (58-21(e)(8)).

FHV leases: rule 59A-21

For rented or leased for-hire vehicles, Chapter 59 rule 59A-21(b)(3)(ii)(G) says: if the lease includes a security deposit, the lease must spell out its terms, all costs that may be taken from it, and "the number of days after termination of the lease, not to exceed 30 days, when the lessor will return the security deposit." The lessor must keep records of all deposit withholdings for three years (59A-21(f)). Breaking the lease-terms rules carries $500 for a first violation, $1,000 and/or up to 30 days' suspension after that, and the hearing officer must order restitution to the driver.

Before you complain: gather this

How to get it back

1. Ask in writing. Text or email the owner or fleet, quoting the 30-day rule, and keep a copy.
2. Complain to TLC's Driver Protection Unit. TLC's DPU page lists "failure to return a driver's security deposit" as conduct it investigates. Email DriverProtection@tlc.nyc.gov or call (718) 391-5539, the number on TLC's taxi driver bill of rights. Attach your lease, receipts and the written request.
3. Don't worry about payback. Owners and bases may not retaliate against a good-faith complaint; see can my owner or base retaliate.

More on how the unit works: TLC Driver Protection Unit. Full deposit rules for taxis: taxi security deposit rules.

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