TLC 80-12(d): Acts Against the Public Interest

In short: §80-12(d) is TLC's catch-all conduct rule. While working, you must not deliberately do — or fail to do — anything that is against the best interests of the public, even if no other rule names it. The penalty is $150 to $350 and/or a 5- to 30-day suspension, plus 3 TLC points, and you must appear. Because the rule is broad, the specific facts written on your summons are everything: they define what you are actually accused of.

What the rule says

From the TLC rule book, chapter 80, §80-12(d), "Acts Against Public Interest":

While performing the duties and responsibilities of a Licensee, a Licensee must not deliberately perform or fail to perform, alone or with another, any act where the act or failure to perform such act is against the best interests of the public, although not specifically mentioned in these rules.

Break that into its parts — each one is something the charge has to fit:

Penalty and points

The catch-all has the lowest range of the four, but it still allows a suspension and adds 3 points to TLC's Persistent Violator count for 15 months.

How often it is charged

Counts were highest in 2023 (424) and 2024 (366). The data has no descriptions or outcomes for TLC rows, so we can't say what conduct those summonses described.

Why a catch-all needs careful reading

Most TLC rules describe one specific act: running a red light, refusing a passenger, overcharging. A catch-all is different. It lets TLC charge conduct that the rule book never anticipated, which is useful for protecting the public — but it also means the summons, not the rule, does the work of describing the wrongdoing. Two drivers charged under 80-12(d) can be facing completely different accusations.

That is why the first job is to pin down the facts alleged: what you did or failed to do, when, where, and who was affected. Once those are clear, you and your representative can test each part of the rule against them — was it deliberate, was it on the job, did it harm the public's interests rather than one person's private dispute, and is it really "not specifically mentioned" anywhere else in the rules. If the facts describe conduct that a specific rule covers, such as threats or harassment under 80-12(e), that is worth raising.

Who it applies to

Any TLC licensee while performing licensee duties — drivers of every kind of TLC vehicle.

Common situations

TLC doesn't publish what it charges under this rule, so these are the kinds of facts where a catch-all tends to be used, not a list of cases:

• Conduct during a trip that upset or endangered a passenger but doesn't fit a more specific rule.
• Refusing to cooperate with something during a trip in a way that harmed the passenger.
• Conduct at an airport, terminal or event that disrupted the public.

If a specific rule covers what you did — overcharging, a service refusal, harassment — the summons would normally cite that rule instead. If it cites only 80-12(d), ask why.

What to do and defenses to discuss

1. Read the description on the summons line by line. Because the rule is general, the description is the accusation.
2. Write your own account now, with times, places and who was there.
3. Collect trip records, messages and video.
4. Find witnesses — your passenger, a dispatcher, a bystander. See witnesses at an OATH hearing.
5. Plan to attend. Appearance is required. Request a phone hearing or in-person hearing in time; don't let it go to default.

Points to discuss with a lawyer or OATH-registered representative:

• Was it deliberate? The rule requires it. A misunderstanding, a technical failure or an honest mistake is different.
• Is it really against the public's best interests, or was it a private dispute?
• Does a more specific rule apply? If so, was 80-12(d) the right charge?
• Is the evidence first-hand? Ask whether the complainant or the officer will testify, and what supports the description beyond the summons itself.

Our guide to what TLC must prove at a hearing explains the burden. This is general information, not legal advice.

After the decision

Fines are due to TLC within 30 days of the decision unless you file a timely appeal (§80-02(c)). OATH appeals are due within 30 days of the decision, or 35 if mailed (OATH). A suspension takes effect as the decision says; check your status before driving.

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