How Do I Get Taxi Camera Footage After an Incident?

Ask the camera installer for it, in writing, within days and not weeks. The camera in a yellow taxi or green cab is called the IVCS (in-vehicle camera system). By TLC rule it only has to keep images for at least 30 days. Only the vehicle owner and the company that installed the camera can open it, but that company must give the footage to the driver on request (TLC Rule §67-12). Your job is to make the request in time and keep proof that you asked.

What the camera keeps, and for how long

TLC's hack-up rules in Chapter 67 say an approved IVCS must:

• capture at least one image per second, or video, while the engine runs and for at least 10 minutes after the engine is turned off;
• show the full face of every person in the car, including the driver, in any light;
• stamp each image with the date and time, the vehicle license number and the camera's serial number;
• keep images or video for at least 30 days.

Not every cab has one. The rules require a working IVCS when one is installed, and a cab that has no partition must have one to qualify for the partition exemption (§58-35(b)). Look for the decal on the rear windows: "This vehicle is equipped with camera security. YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED."

The video can show who was in the car, when, and what happened inside. It can't show what happened outside unless the view through the windows happens to catch it.

Who can get it

Rule §67-12(b)(9) is short. The IVCS and its contents "may only be accessible to the Vehicle Owner and the Taximeter Business or licensed installer that installed the IVCS". The installer "must provide image or video access to law enforcement agencies, including the New York City Police Department, the Vehicle Owner, and the Vehicle Driver, upon request, in standard digital formats." Green cabs have the same access rule in §82-58 of Chapter 82.

If you lease the cab, the owner is the medallion owner or fleet, not you. You still have your own right to ask the installer as "the Vehicle Driver".

How to request it

If the footage is missing or someone won't give it

• Deleted or changed by the owner: a taxi owner "must not delete, modify, or alter in any way" IVCS footage. The penalty is $250 and/or a 5 to 30 day suspension under §58-36(d). Tell the police officer on your case, and report it to TLC through 311.
• Camera broken: a non-working IVCS is an owner violation under §58-36(a) ($350 or $450, plus suspension until fixed). Write down that it was broken. This matters if a passenger later complains about you.
• You were attacked: TLC's victim services team at inclusion@tlc.nyc.gov can help, including "assisting the NYPD in gathering evidence" (TLC Driver Resources). The full plan is in driver assault: what to do.

Uber, Lyft and other for-hire cars

For-hire vehicles have no TLC camera requirement. Chapter 59 has no camera rule except the decal, and it lists the old livery partition rule (§59A-32) as repealed. If you add your own dashcam, the camera decal rule applies (§59A-33), and the footage is yours to keep. Mounting and decal rules are in dashcams in TLC vehicles. The term is explained on the IVCS glossary page.

Don't confuse the IVCS with street cameras. Speed, red-light and bus-lane cameras photograph the plate from outside and send a ticket to the owner. See do camera tickets give TLC points and ACE bus cameras.

Using the footage

Video can help in a police case, in an insurance claim, or at an OATH hearing about a passenger complaint. See evidence for a TLC hearing. After a crash, the video doesn't replace the DMV report. Check whether you must file an MV-104. More on staying safe at work is on the safety hub.