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In short: in 2025, New Yorkers filed 18,258 complaints about for-hire (app and car service) drivers and 9,593 about yellow taxi drivers with 311, according to NYC Open Data. Most for-hire complaints came from people outside the car reporting unsafe driving, not from passengers. TLC says 8,577 summonses were issued from consumer complaints in 2025.
This page uses two official sources: the city's 311 Service Requests dataset (requests assigned to TLC, queried October 12, 2026; the newest record was dated October 10, 2026) and the appendix of TLC's 2025 Annual Report. Numbers are counts of complaints, which are reports, not findings.
The numbers at a glance
Complaint trend since 2020
For-hire complaints more than tripled from 2020 to 2024, then fell about 20% in 2025. Taxi complaints jumped about 40% in 2025, from 6,832 to 9,593. The data can't say why: complaints rise and fall with the number of trips, with how easy it is to report, and with what people notice. For 2026, 311 had logged 14,862 for-hire and 8,106 taxi complaints through October 10.
Passenger vs. non-passenger
311 splits driver complaints into those made by passengers and by non-passengers (pedestrians, cyclists, other drivers). In 2025:
The pattern is very different by sector. For app and car service drivers, about 84% of complaints (15,305 of 18,258) came from people outside the car. For yellow taxis, two-thirds (6,370 of 9,593) came from passengers, mostly about money.
Top 10 complaints in 2025
Below the top ten, the 311 data shows 2025 complaints about taxi refused pick-ups (370), discourteous taxi (361) and FHV (358) drivers, a taxi license not displayed (232), refusal to accept a credit card (157), and cell phone use reported by taxi passengers (146). October 2025 was the busiest month for FHV unsafe-driving complaints (1,800).
From complaint to summons
TLC's 2025 outcomes table counts activity during the year: 8,577 summonses issued, 2,367 hearings (including scheduled), 7,221 settlements accepted (as stipulations and after summons issuance), 1,397 defaults, 21 guilty pleas and 0 guilty pleas by mail. Because a summons issued in one month may be settled or heard in another, these columns don't add up to the summons total and shouldn't be read as percentages of it. They do show that settlements were by far the most common recorded outcome in 2025.
What drivers should do when a complaint becomes a summons
- Find the rule on the summons and read it in the rule book. Our passenger complaint process explains the steps.
- Don't ignore the hearing date. 1,397 defaults in one year is a reminder that a missed date costs you the chance to respond.
- Gather your own trip record, app status, receipts and any dashcam video for the time on the summons.
- Ask whether a settlement is offered, and compare it with the risk of a hearing.
- If the complaint alleges bias, read discrimination complaints against TLC drivers. Complaints about your fleet or base are a different track: see can my owner or base retaliate.
Where complaints come from
By the borough recorded on the 311 request, 2025 driver complaints break down as: Manhattan 15,165, Queens 6,457, Brooklyn 4,792, Bronx 1,191, Staten Island 114 and 524 unspecified. This is where the complaint location was recorded, which follows where trips and traffic are busiest; it is not a measure of how drivers behave in each borough. For where TLC itself writes summonses, see taxi stand and cruising summonses; other data pages include Uber and Lyft tipping, tolls on app trips and how many FHV bases there are.
What the data can't tell you
- Whether the complaint was true. Complaints are unverified reports.
- Complaints per driver or per trip. 311 data has no trip counts, and a single driver may get several complaints or none.
- Which complaints became which summonses. The two sources aren't linked record by record.
- Complaints made only to Uber, Lyft or a base. Anything not reported through 311 is not in this data.
- 2019 and earlier. This dataset starts in 2020.
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints about taxi and app drivers did 311 receive in 2025?
NYC Open Data's 311 Service Requests dataset shows 18,258 'For Hire Vehicle Complaint' requests, 9,593 'Taxi Complaint' requests and 392 'Green Taxi Complaint' requests assigned to TLC in 2025 (queried October 12, 2026).
What do people complain about most?
Unsafe driving reported by people outside the vehicle. TLC's 2025 Annual Report lists 15,119 FHV unsafe-driving complaints from non-passengers, far ahead of any other type. The top taxi complaints from passengers were about fares and tips.
How many complaints turned into summonses?
TLC's 2025 Annual Report says 8,577 summonses were issued from consumer complaints in 2025. Its outcomes table lists 2,367 hearings (including scheduled ones), 7,221 settlements accepted, 1,397 defaults and 21 guilty pleas. These counts cover activity in 2025 and are not a one-to-one match with 2025 complaints.
Does a 311 complaint mean the driver did something wrong?
No. A complaint is a report by a member of the public. TLC reviews it, and only some lead to a summons. A summons is still an allegation until a hearing officer decides it or the driver pleads guilty.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: 311 Service Requests from 2020 to Present (erm2-nwe9), agency TLC, queried Oct 12, 2026 data.cityofnewyork.us
- TLC 2025 Annual Report (Jan 2026), Appendix Tables 1 and 2 nyc.gov
- TLC: Office of Inclusion (how complaints are reviewed) 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.