TLC Help
SearchLookupSign inScan my summons

Data & statisticsPay, fees & earnings rules

NYC Yellow Taxi Fare per Trip: 2010–2026 Data

What an average NYC yellow taxi trip collects, 2010–2026: $16.86 in 2019, $24.98 in 2023 after the fare rise, $27.13 in 2026 so far, with each jump explained.

  • Reviewed
  • 3 min read
  • 8 official sources

Data used

On this page (8)
  1. The numbers at a glance
  2. Farebox per trip by year
  3. What moved the line
  4. The last three years month by month
  5. Fewer trips, more per trip
  6. What the data can't tell you
  7. FAQ
  8. Sources

In short: An average NYC yellow taxi trip collected about $16.86 in 2019, $19.00 in 2022, $24.98 in 2023 and $27.13 in January–July 2026. These are TLC's "farebox" figures: everything collected from fares, surcharges, taxes and tolls, not including credit card tips, divided by trips. The biggest jump came with TLC's fare increase of December 19, 2022. Farebox per trip is not driver income: part of it passes through to the state, the MTA and the Taxicab Improvement Fund, and the lease and fuel come out of the rest.

TLC publishes farebox per day and trips per day for each month in its industry indicators. We multiplied each by the days in the month, added up each year, and divided farebox by trips. 2026 covers January to July, the latest month TLC had published on October 12, 2026.

The numbers at a glance

  • $16.86Per trip in 2019last full year before the pandemic
  • $24.98Per trip in 2023first full year of the new fare
  • $23.89Per trip in 2025first year of the MTA congestion toll
  • $27.13Per trip, Jan–Jul 2026

Farebox per trip by year

Yellow taxi farebox per trip, 2010–2026

Farebox (fares, surcharges, taxes and tolls, excluding card tips) ÷ trips, from TLC monthly indicators. 2026 = January–July.

$ per trip

201120142017202020232026 (Jan–Jul)
Show data table
LabelYellow taxi ($ per trip)
201010.59
201111.27
201211.99
201313.42
201413.74
201514.35
201614.58
201714.5
201814.53
201916.86
202016.4
202117.43
202219
202324.98
202424.48
202523.89
2026 (Jan–Jul)27.13

Source: TLC Monthly Data Reports (industry indicators), TLC Help calculation

What moved the line

Each step up lines up with a dated rule or charge:

Fare rules and charges behind the series

  1. Sep 4, 2012

    Meter fare change

    The TLC's 2022 rule notice says the previous change to the meter and JFK flat fare took effect on this date. Per-trip farebox rose from $11.99 (2012) to $13.42 (2013).

  2. Jan 1, 2015

    Improvement surcharge starts

    30 cents per taxi trip for the Taxicab Improvement Fund (TLC rules 58-21(c)(5)(xii), 58-26(h)).

  3. Feb 2, 2019

    NYS congestion surcharge

    $2.50 per yellow taxi trip that begins, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th St. Set for January 1, collection began February 2 after a court order was lifted (NYS Notice N-19-2). 2019 rose to $16.86 from $14.53.

  4. Dec 19, 2022

    Watch out: First fare increase in ten years

    Initial charge $2.50→$3.00, unit 50¢→70¢, improvement surcharge 30¢→$1.00, rush $1→$2.50, night 50¢→$1, JFK flat $52→$70, Newark $17.50→$20, new $5 LaGuardia surcharge (Industry Notice #22-02).

  5. Jan 5, 2025

    MTA congestion toll

    75 cents per taxi trip in Manhattan at or below 60th St. The 2025 average still fell to $23.89.

  6. Mar 15, 2026

    Airport access fee $2.00

    The Port Authority's taxi pickup fee at JFK and LaGuardia rose from $1.75 to $2.00.

TLC projected, using 2019 trips as a baseline, that the meter changes alone (not the surcharges) would raise average passenger fares by 22.9% (2022 rule notice). The actual per-trip farebox in 2023 was 31% above 2022, but that also includes the new surcharges and a different mix of trips, so the two numbers measure different things. Every current charge is explained in how a NYC taxi fare is calculated.

The last three years month by month

Taxi farebox per day, Aug 2023 – Jul 2026

Total collected per day across all yellow taxis (and green cabs), excluding card tips. Divide by trips per day to get per-trip figures.

$ per day

Jan 2024Jul 2024Jan 2025Jul 2025Jan 2026Jul 2026
  • Yellow taxi
  • Green cab (boro taxi)
Show data table
LabelYellow taxiGreen cab (boro taxi)
Aug 20232,282,46144,903
Sep 20232,473,57552,570
Oct 20232,889,00148,179
Nov 20232,777,38746,814
Dec 20232,710,48845,896
Jan 20242,219,02537,028
Feb 20242,389,78037,789
Mar 20242,731,14038,304
Apr 20242,803,03739,453
May 20242,971,87542,958
Jun 20242,877,40640,375
Jul 20242,423,48736,958
Aug 20242,360,63038,597
Sep 20243,020,44842,969
Oct 20243,052,70740,528
Nov 20242,918,93337,729
Dec 20242,909,03336,402
Jan 20252,502,24330,862
Feb 20252,810,66533,490
Mar 20253,092,30934,953
Apr 20253,083,89037,501
May 20253,519,90839,511
Jun 20253,506,99836,883
Jul 20252,983,70234,883
Aug 20252,658,13736,059
Sep 20253,432,77239,194
Oct 20253,313,15936,045
Nov 20252,896,20234,421
Dec 20253,771,32834,033
Jan 20263,072,51327,644
Feb 20263,220,49428,436
Mar 20263,320,46131,147
Apr 20263,283,74932,652
May 20263,485,68333,615
Jun 20263,533,96133,712
Jul 20263,112,78130,536

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. TLC: 'Total amount, across all vehicles, collected from all fares, surcharges, taxes, and tolls … does not include amounts from credit card tips.' Published for taxi classes only.

Per trip, the monthly yellow figure stayed between about $21.38 and $26.22 from January 2023 to November 2025. It then rose to $27.96 in December 2025 and stayed between $26.39 and $27.64 through July 2026. TLC's figures don't explain this step. In our own trip-record counts, the share of yellow trips coded as Flex Fare (upfront app price) also rose that month, from 17.6% to 28.1% (card vs cash payments), but this data can't show whether one caused the other.

The trip records tell a similar story for the meter part alone: the average yellow fare (before surcharges, taxes, tolls and tips) was $19.49 in November 2025 and $22.44 in December 2025.

Average fare per trip by month (trip records), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026

Meter fare only, before tips, tolls, taxes and surcharges.

Oct 2025Dec 2025Feb 2026Apr 2026Jun 2026Aug 2026
  • Yellow taxi
  • Green cab
  • App (high-volume FHV)
Show data table
LabelYellow taxiGreen cabApp (high-volume FHV)
Sep 2025$20.86$19.22$28.68
Oct 2025$20.22$17.93$27.27
Nov 2025$19.49$17.13$27.04
Dec 2025$22.44$16.86$27.78
Jan 2026$21.03$16.03$25.77
Feb 2026$21.76$16.28$26.63
Mar 2026$21.31$16.09$27.61
Apr 2026$21.03$16.56$27.27
May 2026$21.41$17.57$28.69
Jun 2026$21.33$17.19$28.80
Jul 2026$20.99$17.46$27.39
Aug 2026$21.05$18.14$26.95

Source: NYC TLC Trip Record Data (yellow, green, high-volume FHV), 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. 'Fare' is the metered fare_amount for taxis and base_passenger_fare for app trips — before tolls, tips, taxes and surcharges — so it is not what the passenger paid in total.

Fewer trips, more per trip

Yellow taxi trips per day, 2010–2025

Yearly average of TLC's monthly trips-per-day figures.

Trips per day

201020132016201920222025
Show data table
LabelYellow taxi (trips per day)
2010462,790
2011484,822
2012487,929
2013474,642
2014452,521
2015400,642
2016358,629
2017311,125
2018281,803
2019230,691
202067,747
202184,338
2022108,378
2023104,422
2024111,257
2025131,133

Source: NYC Open Data: TLC Industry Indicators (v6kb-cqej) · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Yearly values are the average of the 12 monthly figures TLC publishes, tabulated from trip records. High-volume FHV means app-based companies licensed as High-Volume For-Hire Services.

Yellow taxis made 462,790 trips a day in 2010 and 230,691 in 2019, fell to 67,747 in 2020, and were back to 131,133 in 2025. A higher fare per trip does not mean more money for the industry overall: farebox per day depends on both lines.

What the data can't tell you

  • Not driver income. Farebox includes the $1.00 improvement surcharge, the 50-cent MTA tax, the NYS congestion surcharge, the MTA congestion toll, airport fees and tolls, which the driver does not keep. See who keeps what from a taxi fare. Lease and fuel come out of what is left.
  • Card tips are excluded and cash tips are never recorded. Tip data is on yellow taxi tipping statistics.
  • Mix changes. More airport trips or longer trips raise the average without any rule change. JFK flat-fare trips are on JFK flat fare trip statistics; congestion-zone trips on congestion zone TLC trip statistics.
  • Revisions. TLC tabulates these from trip records and may revise them.

The breakdown of a single average trip is on what's inside an average NYC taxi fare, and how taxis compare with apps is on yellow taxi vs Uber fares. Newark trips, which carry a $20 surcharge, are covered on our Newark Airport page. More on the money hub.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average yellow taxi trip worth in 2026?

From January to July 2026, TLC's monthly figures work out to about $27.13 collected per yellow taxi trip. That includes fares, surcharges, taxes and tolls, but not credit card tips.

How much did the December 2022 fare increase change the average trip?

Per-trip farebox went from about $19.00 in 2022 to about $24.98 in 2023. The increase took effect December 19, 2022 and raised the meter, the improvement surcharge, the rush and night surcharges and the airport charges.

Is farebox per trip what the driver earns?

No. It includes money the driver passes on (improvement surcharge, MTA tax, congestion charges, tolls) and leaves out card tips. Lease and fuel also come out of a driver's takings.

Why did the 2025 average go down when congestion pricing started?

The 2025 figure ($23.89) was below 2024 ($24.48). TLC's published figures don't say why. The 75-cent congestion toll is small next to changes in trip length and trip mix, and we can't separate those effects with this data.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. TLC Monthly Data Reports (industry indicators CSV), downloaded 2026-10-12 nyc.gov
  2. TLC Data Dictionary – Monthly Indicators nyc.gov
  3. TLC: Taxi Fare nyc.gov
  4. TLC: Metered Rates of Fare – Notice of Promulgation (adopted Nov 15, 2022) nyc.gov
  5. TLC Industry Notice #22-02: New meter fare structure effective 12/19/22 nyc.gov
  6. NYS Tax Department TSB-M-18(1)CS: Congestion surcharge effective January 1, 2019 tax.ny.gov
  7. NYS Tax Notice N-19-2: Congestion surcharge collection begins Feb 2, 2019 tax.ny.gov
  8. NYC TLC Trip Record Data 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.

Related

Data & statisticsWhat's Inside an Average NYC Taxi Fare (Trip Data)33 million metered yellow taxi trips split into meter fare, surcharges, MTA tax, congestion charges, tolls and tips, card vs cash, and how often each applies.See the data Data & statisticsYellow Taxi vs Uber Fares in NYC: Trip Data Compared12 months of TLC trip records: yellow taxi fares averaged $21.08 vs $27.49 for Uber/Lyft, but app trips ran longer. Per mile, per minute and by month.See the data Data & statisticsCard vs Cash in NYC Taxis: Payment Data Since 2010TLC data: 36% of yellow taxi trips were paid by card in 2010, about 89% in 2026. Flex Fare, cash, why cash tips are missing, and the driver card-fee cap.See the data Data & statisticsJFK Flat-Fare Taxi Trips: Monthly Data and Fare MathHow many yellow taxi trips use the $70 JFK flat fare each month, what those trips total, how riders pay and tip, and how many trips use the Newark rate.See the data GuideHow a NYC Taxi Fare Is Calculated: Every ChargeThe NYC taxi meter explained: 70-cent units, every surcharge and tax with its time window, which charges the driver keeps, rate codes 1–6 and worked examples.Read TopicDriver Pay, Fees & Money Rules for TLC DriversThe money side of TLC driving: 2026 minimum pay for app trips, lockout rules, card and fare rules, license fees and fine deadlines, all from TLC's own rules.Read FareboxTLC's total of all fares, surcharges, taxes and tolls collected by taxis, not counting credit card tips.