TLC Courtesy Rule 80-15(i): Discourtesy Summons Guide

In short: Rule 80-15(i) is one sentence: "A Driver must be courteous to Passengers." A summons under it costs $200 if you plead guilty before a hearing or $300 if you are found guilty after one. No appearance is required and no TLC points are listed. Most of these cases turn on one question — what was actually said and done — so your own record of the trip matters.

What the rule says

From §80-15 of the TLC Chapter 80 rule book:

"(i) Courtesy. A Driver must be courteous to Passengers." §80-15(i) Fine: $200 if plead guilty before a hearing; $300 if found guilty following a hearing. Appearance NOT REQUIRED

The rule gives no list of examples. That is both a risk and an opening. It is a risk because almost any argument with a passenger can be described as discourteous. It is an opening because the judge must decide, from the evidence in your case, whether your conduct actually crossed the line.

Where courtesy sits among the conduct rules

TLC has a ladder of conduct rules. Courtesy is the bottom rung. If a complaint describes something more serious, the summons may cite a rule in §80-12 instead — or as well. Check the code on yours:

Read the exact text of any 80-12 charge in the rule book — our 80-12(d) page explains the public-interest rule.

Situations that often lead to a complaint

Several other TLC rules describe things passengers are entitled to ask for. A dispute over one of them can lead to a courtesy summons, a summons under that specific rule, or both:

• Route. Passengers may ask for a specific route; otherwise you must take the shortest reasonable route (80-16(a)).
• Audio, heat and A/C. Passengers can ask you to turn audio, air conditioning or heat on or off (80-16(e), 80-16(f)).
• Your name and license number. You must give them on a reasonable request (80-16(g)).
• Luggage. You must load and unload luggage on request (80-16(c)).
• Tips. You must not ask for a tip or say one is expected (80-17(a)(6)).

Knowing these rules helps you stay out of arguments in the first place. If a passenger asks for something the rules require, the simplest path is to do it.

When the passenger is the problem

Courtesy is a duty you owe passengers, but the rules also recognise that some passengers behave badly. Rule 80-20(b)(9) lets you refuse service to a passenger who is disorderly or intoxicated — with the caution that you must not refuse "solely because of behavior caused by a person's disability." Rule 80-20(b)(10) lets you end a trip in a safe place if a passenger keeps smoking after you have asked at least twice.

If a trip goes wrong, the safest approach is calm and short: don't argue, don't raise your voice, and end the trip only where the rules allow. Then write down what happened. A clear note made the same day often carries more weight than a memory months later at the hearing.

Who it applies to

Every TLC-licensed driver: yellow taxi, green cab and FHV and app drivers. The rule protects "Passengers," so it is about how you treat the people you are carrying or picking up.

How often it is charged

Since 2018, courtesy summonses as a first charge have stayed between about 110 and 175 a year. Because only the first-listed charge is counted, courtesy charges that appear second on a summons (behind a refusal, for example) are not in this chart.

Fighting or paying

The difference between pleading guilty ($200) and losing after a hearing ($300) is $100. TLC's summons page says that if the judge does not believe your account, the fine may be higher than the settlement previously offered. It also says that if you request a hearing, TLC must present evidence to prove the allegations (TLC summons page). In complaint-based cases, the evidence is often the passenger's written statement or testimony. You can tell your side and bring witnesses and documents.

What to do now

1. Write your account today: time, place, what the passenger asked, what you said, and how the trip ended.
2. Pull your trip record for the route, fare and timestamps. Records that show a normal trip can support your account.
3. Look for witnesses — another passenger, a dispatcher, or a base employee who heard the call.
4. Decide before the deadline. Use should I fight my TLC summons? and the hearing prep checklist.

Points to discuss with your lawyer

• Does the complaint describe specific words or actions, or only a general feeling?
• Did the dispute come from a request you were not required to follow, or one you followed?
• Is there any recording you are allowed to use, and is it complete and unaltered?
• Will the complainant testify?

See also: responding to a passenger complaint and witnesses at an OATH hearing.