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Shared Rides in NYC: Pool Trips Before and After COVID

Shared app rides fell from about 154,800 a day in 2018 to 323 in 2021, then rose to about 10,800 in 2025, near 1.6% of app trips. TLC data, surcharge, rules.

  • Reviewed
  • 3 min read
  • 7 official sources

Data used

On this page (8)
  1. The numbers at a glance
  2. Shared trips per day, year by year
  3. Requested vs matched: two flags in the trip records
  4. The shared-ride surcharge
  5. Driver pay on shared trips
  6. What the data can't tell you
  7. FAQ
  8. Sources

Short answer: Shared app rides (Uber's and Lyft's pooled rides) still exist in New York City, but they are a small part of the market. TLC recorded about 10,835 shared trips a day in 2025, around 1.6% of all app trips. Before COVID they were a big business: 154,842 a day in 2018, almost one app trip in four. In 2021 they nearly vanished, at 323 a day.

The numbers at a glance

  • 154,842Shared app trips per day, 2018 average24.3% of app trips

    Source: TLC industry indicators

  • 323Shared app trips per day, 2021 (months TLC reported)

    Source: TLC industry indicators

  • 10,835Shared app trips per day, 2025 average1.6% of app trips

    Source: TLC industry indicators

  • 5,355Shared app trips per day, July 2026

    Source: TLC industry indicators

Shared trips per day, year by year

Shared app trips per day, yearly average, 2017–2025

Averages of the months TLC filled in. TLC left some months blank: January–May 2017 (so 2017 uses 7 months), April–June 2020, November–December 2021 and January–May 2022.

Trips per day

155K201720182019202020212022202320242025
Show data table
LabelShared trips per day (trips per day)
201787,377
2018154,842
2019123,008
202025,432
2021323
20223,648
20236,687
202410,165
202510,835

Source: TLC Monthly Data Reports (industry indicators CSV), 'Trips Per Day Shared', FHV - High Volume

The fall started before the pandemic. Shared trips dropped from 171,912 a day in February 2019 to 93,421 in December 2019. Then they fell to almost nothing in 2020 (3 a day in July 2020, by TLC's count). They started to come back in late 2022, when TLC recorded 9,397 a day in November and 10,672 in December.

Here is the recent picture, month by month:

Shared app trips per day, Aug 2023 – Jul 2026

Peak 15,619 a day in December 2024; down to 5,355 in July 2026.

Trips per day

Jan 2024Jul 2024Jan 2025Jul 2025Jan 2026Jul 2026
Show data table
LabelHigh-volume FHV shared trips (trips per day)
Aug 20234,485
Sep 20235,991
Oct 20236,343
Nov 20236,538
Dec 20236,264
Jan 20247,341
Feb 20248,667
Mar 20249,337
Apr 20249,034
May 20249,160
Jun 20249,431
Jul 20249,126
Aug 202410,185
Sep 202411,800
Oct 202410,279
Nov 202412,005
Dec 202415,619
Jan 202515,223
Feb 202513,562
Mar 20259,619
Apr 20259,932
May 202511,581
Jun 202512,191
Jul 202511,913
Aug 202511,006
Sep 20259,376
Oct 20259,341
Nov 20258,703
Dec 20257,572
Jan 20267,618
Feb 20267,832
Mar 20265,872
Apr 20268,577
May 20267,191
Jun 20268,619
Jul 20265,355

Source: NYC Open Data: TLC Industry Indicators (v6kb-cqej) · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Monthly figures as published by TLC (tabulated from trip records). One license lets a driver work in several industries, so driver and vehicle counts overlap across lines and must not be added.

After rising through 2024 to a peak in December 2024 and January 2025, shared rides have trended down, with ups and downs, since mid-2025.

Who runs them now. In TLC's FHV Base Aggregate Report, Uber dispatched 3,941,315 shared trips in 2025 and Lyft 8,541. In 2019 the picture was different: Uber reported 23.7 million shared trips, Lyft 14.3 million and Via 7.3 million (see what happened to Via and Juno).

Requested vs matched: two flags in the trip records

TLC's high-volume data dictionary has two separate yes/no fields:

Shared-ride fields in TLC high-volume trip records

shared_request_flagDid the passenger agree to a shared/pooled ride, regardless of whether they were matched?1.33%
shared_match_flagDid the passenger share the vehicle with another passenger who booked separately at any point during the trip?0.80%

Source: TLC Data Dictionary – High Volume FHV Trip Records (Mar 18, 2025); shares from TLC Help dataset trips-app-wav-shared-by-month

So a rider can choose "shared" and still ride alone. In the 12 months to August 2026, only 55% to 62% of shared requests each month were actually matched with another rider:

Share of app trips: shared requested vs matched (plus WAV and Access-A-Ride)

Shared requested fell from 2.54% in Sep 2025 to 1.33% in Aug 2026; matched from 1.45% to 0.80%.

% of trips

Oct 2025Dec 2025Feb 2026Apr 2026Jun 2026Aug 2026
  • WAV requested
  • Trip in a WAV
  • Shared ride requested
  • Shared ride matched
  • Access-A-Ride (MTA)
Show data table
LabelWAV requestedTrip in a WAVShared ride requestedShared ride matchedAccess-A-Ride (MTA)
Sep 20250.38.622.541.450.11
Oct 20250.298.972.251.360.1
Nov 20250.288.972.091.250.1
Dec 20250.269.251.861.060.09
Jan 20260.249.171.981.140.09
Feb 20260.249.281.941.10.09
Mar 20260.299.481.50.820.1
Apr 20260.319.3721.220.1
May 20260.319.821.7710.1
Jun 20260.3210.231.991.240.1
Jul 20260.3210.11.380.790.09
Aug 20260.3310.411.330.80.1

Source: NYC TLC Trip Record Data: high-volume FHV (Uber, Lyft), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Aggregated by TLC Help from TLC trip records, Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 (pickup date; TLC publishes trip files about two months after the month ends and may revise them). 'App' = high-volume for-hire services (Uber, Lyft). Taxi records with a negative fare (reversals) are excluded. Averages, medians and rates use 'clean' trips only: 1 minute to 4 hours, more than 0 and under 150 miles, fare above $0 and under $1,000. Flags from the HVFHV dictionary: wav_request_flag, wav_match_flag, shared_request_flag, shared_match_flag, access_a_ride_flag. Completed trips only — requests that never became trips are not in trip records.

The shared-ride surcharge

The New York State congestion surcharge is lower for pooled trips. For trips that begin, end or pass through Manhattan south of 96th Street, it is $0.75 per pool trip, compared with $2.75 for other FHV trips and $2.50 for yellow taxis (as of 2026-10-12, NYS Tax Department; the TLC fare page says "75 cents (any shared ride)"). The passenger pays it; it is not taken from driver pay.

Official rates · As listed Oct 12, 2026

New York State congestion surcharge (south of 96th St)

Manhattan south of and excluding 96th Street; trip must begin and end in New York State

VehiclePer trip
Yellow (medallion) taxi$2.50
Green cab, Uber/Lyft, black car, livery, other for-hire$2.75
Pool / shared trip$0.75
  • This state surcharge is separate from the MTA congestion toll (Manhattan at or below 60th St).

Source: NYS Department of Taxation and Finance: Congestion surcharge. Rates change — check the source before you rely on a number.

Driver pay on shared trips

TLC's minimum pay rule for app trips, §59D-22, sets a minimum per mile and per minute while you are "transporting a Passenger." The current text (updated February 27, 2026) has no separate rate for shared rides; paragraph (a)(3) is "Reserved." We have not found a TLC page that explains how the apps apply the formula when two riders overlap, so check your trip details on your statement and ask TLC if a shared trip looks underpaid.

Two rules protect riders, and you:

  • 80-19(c)(3): an FHV driver "must not require that any prospective Passenger share a ride" ($100 fine). See 80-19(c)(3).
  • 59B-17(b): a base must not require a passenger to share a ride ($50 fine).

What the data can't tell you

  • Completed trips only. Shared requests that were cancelled or never picked up are not in trip records.
  • Blank months. TLC left the shared column blank for several months in 2017 and 2020–2022, so those yearly averages use fewer months.
  • No reasons. The data shows the drop, not why the apps changed their shared products.
  • No pay detail. Trip records show pay per trip, but the counts here don't show how shared trips pay compared with solo trips. For pay data, see how much Uber drivers make in NYC.

More context: what share of NYC rides are Uber and Lyft, how many FHV bases are in NYC and the hours you can drive for Uber.

Frequently asked questions

Do shared (pool) rides still exist in NYC?

Yes, but they are small. TLC's indicators show 10,835 shared app trips a day on average in 2025, about 1.6% of the 667,537 app trips a day. In July 2026 the figure was 5,355.

How many shared rides were there before COVID?

In 2018, TLC recorded an average of 154,842 shared app trips a day, about 24% of all app trips. In 2021 the average for the months TLC reported was 323 a day.

Which company does most shared rides now?

Uber. TLC's base report shows 3,941,315 shared trips dispatched by Uber in 2025 and 8,541 by Lyft.

What is the congestion surcharge on a shared ride?

The New York State congestion surcharge is $0.75 for each pool trip that begins, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street, compared with $2.75 for other FHV trips (rates as of 2026-10-12).

Can a driver or base force a passenger to share?

No. TLC rule 80-19(c)(3) says an FHV driver must not require a passenger to share a ride ($100 fine), and rule 59B-17(b) says the same for bases.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. TLC Monthly Data Reports (industry indicators CSV, through July 2026) nyc.gov
  2. TLC: Data Dictionary – High Volume FHV Trip Records (March 18, 2025) nyc.gov
  3. NYC Open Data: FHV Base Aggregate Report (2v9c-2k7f) data.cityofnewyork.us
  4. TLC: Taxi Fare (congestion surcharge for shared rides) nyc.gov
  5. NYS Department of Taxation and Finance: Congestion surcharge tax.ny.gov
  6. TLC Rules Chapter 59 (§59B-17(b), §59D-22), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
  7. TLC Rules Chapter 80 (§80-19(c)(3)), updated June 6, 2025 nyc.gov

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.

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