What Is a Flex Fare Taxi Trip?

A Flex Fare trip is a yellow or green taxi ride booked in a TLC-licensed e-hail app at a fixed price agreed before the trip. The meter is not turned on, and the passenger pays the price they accepted. TLC's Chapter 51 defines a Flex Fare Trip as an e-hail "with an upfront, non-metered, binding fare in dollars and cents, inclusive of all taxes, fees, and any price multiplier, for the specific trip requested, prior to dispatching the trip." For you, this means no meter, a known destination before pickup, and a fare set by the app's TLC-approved rate schedule.

Flex Fare vs a metered trip

The meter rule exception

Normally the meter must calculate every fare, including fares paid in an app. Rule 58-26(i)(2) says "the Taximeter must be used for all trips, including trips paid for by E-Payment, unless it is a Flex Fare trip." Rule 80-17(j) repeats this for drivers.

Three things stay the same:

• You still log in. Rule 80-25(a) requires you to operate the Technology System on every taxi trip, "including those … trips that begin with the use of an E-Hail Application."
• No charging above the quote. The overcharge rule, 80-17(a)(1), covers "any trip initiated or accepted through an E-Hail Application, including a Flex Fare Trip." Rule 80-17(j)(2) says payment must not exceed "Commission-approved Flex Fare Rate Schedules, plus any optional tip."
• Not every app trip is a Flex Fare. The fare page says e-hail companies "are still allowed to send you metered taxis, instead of offering a binding fare quote." Check the trip type in your app before you decide whether to start the meter.

Airports, tips and who offers it

• No airport e-hail pickups. "The Port Authority does not currently allow taxis to be E-Hailed at the airport. However, you can be dropped off at the airport." Airport pickups stay with the taxi lines.
• Tips. "Each app will have an option to tip the driver. As always, you can tip your driver in cash." Do not ask for a tip (Rule 80-17(a)(6)).
• Who offers it. TLC's fare page lists Myle Technologies Inc., Curb Mobility and Arro as current e-hail participants with upfront pricing (checked 2026-10-12). TLC says the list is updated as companies join.

How common it is

In yellow taxi trip records, payment type 0 means "Flex Fare trip" (data dictionary). By our count, Flex Fare trips were 22.3% of yellow trips in September 2025 and 27.7% in August 2026.

Flex Fare rows usually have a blank rate code. That is why a large "null/unknown" group appears in rate code counts. Fare analyses that use only the meter's fare_amount should keep this in mind: see the parts of a NYC taxi fare.

What it means for your pay

• Card money from app trips is a non-cash payment. On a daily or weekly vehicle lease, your owner must pay you all non-cash payments, including e-payments, at no cost to you. The owner may subtract only items the rules allow, such as the $1 improvement surcharge (Rule 58-21(f)).
• The quote already includes taxes and fees. You won't see the meter's line items. Ask your app or fleet for the trip's breakdown if your payout looks wrong.
• Compare with the meter. The taxi fare estimator shows what the same trip would cost on the meter. Taxi vs Uber fares compares sectors.

More on how e-hail works: e-hail. All taxi surcharges: every surcharge on a taxi fare. More pay topics are on the money hub.