TLC Rule 80-19(c)(3): Forcing a Shared FHV Ride

On this page (11)

What the rule says
Who it applies to
Where it sits in the FHV rules
Shared rides in the app data
Who writes it and how often
Common situations
Does the summons fit?
Penalty and points
What to do
FAQ
Sources

In short: A for-hire vehicle (FHV) driver, including an Uber or Lyft driver, must not require a passenger to share the ride with another passenger. A rider who picked a shared option in the app has agreed to share; a rider who booked a private trip has not. The fine is $100, with no TLC points and no required appearance. This rule is almost never enforced on its own: 6 summonses in OATH data from 2016 to October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

What the rule says

Section 80-19(c)(3) of TLC Chapter 80:

(3) No Requiring Ride-Sharing. A Driver of a For-Hire Vehicle must not require that any prospective Passenger share a ride with another prospective Passenger.

§80-19(c)(3) Fine: $100 — Appearance NOT REQUIRED

In plain English:

"Require" means making sharing a condition of the ride: "I'll take you only if this other person comes too."
"Prospective Passenger" is anyone you are about to drive. The rule protects the person who booked from being forced to ride with a stranger.
It doesn't stop shared rides that riders choose. When a rider asks for a shared trip through the base or app, they have agreed to share.

Who it applies to

Every driver of a for-hire vehicle: black cars, livery cars (community car services), luxury limousines and cars driven for the high-volume app companies. TLC's 2025 Annual Report explains that one TLC Driver License lets the holder drive a taxi, green cab, black car, livery or limousine, so many drivers move between these rules. When you drive a yellow cab, the taxi rules 80-19(a)(2) and (a)(3) apply instead; in a green cab, 80-19(b)(3) and (b)(4).

Passengers don't have to accept a stranger in the car. If a rider feels pressured, they can complain to TLC through 311, and a complaint can turn into a summons. How that process works for drivers: passenger complaint summons.

Where it sits in the FHV rules

Rule 80-19(c) is the FHV pickup section. The first two parts carry far bigger penalties:

FHV pickup rules in 80-19(c)

Rule	What it bars	Penalty
80-19(c)(1)	Any pickup not pre-arranged through a licensed base of the right class	$200–$350; 2nd in 24 months $350–$500 + up to 30 days' suspension; 3rd in 36 months revocation
80-19(c)(2)	Non-prearranged pickups in Manhattan south of E. 96th / W. 110th or at NYC airports	$500; $750; revocation (3rd in 120 months)
80-19(c)(3)	Requiring a passenger to share a ride	$100

That matters because forcing a second rider in usually means that rider wasn't booked through your base. Picking up a person who flagged you down, or who walked up at an airport, is 80-19(c)(1) or 80-19(c)(2), not just this $100 rule.

Shared rides in the app data

TLC's monthly indicators count "shared trips" for the high-volume services (Uber and Lyft). Shared riding collapsed after 2019 and has come back only a little:

High-volume FHV shared trips per day (yearly average)

Average of the monthly 'Trips Per Day Shared' values. 2020–2022 are left out because several months have no shared figure. Computed by TLC Help.

Trips per day

Show data table

Label	Shared trips per day (trips per day)
2018	154,842
2019	123,008
2023	6,687
2024	10,165
2025	10,835

Source: TLC monthly industry indicators (data_reports_monthly.csv), read 2026-10-12

The trip records tell the same story from the rider side. Each app trip carries flags for whether the rider asked to share and whether a match happened:

App trips: shared, wheelchair-accessible and Access-A-Ride (% of trips)

Completed Uber and Lyft trips, Sep 2025 – Aug 2026. 'Shared ride requested' is the rider's choice in the app.

% of trips

WAV requested
Trip in a WAV
Shared ride requested
Shared ride matched
Access-A-Ride (MTA)

Show data table

Label	WAV requested	Trip in a WAV	Shared ride requested	Shared ride matched	Access-A-Ride (MTA)
Sep 2025	0.3	8.62	2.54	1.45	0.11
Oct 2025	0.29	8.97	2.25	1.36	0.1
Nov 2025	0.28	8.97	2.09	1.25	0.1
Dec 2025	0.26	9.25	1.86	1.06	0.09
Jan 2026	0.24	9.17	1.98	1.14	0.09
Feb 2026	0.24	9.28	1.94	1.1	0.09
Mar 2026	0.29	9.48	1.5	0.82	0.1
Apr 2026	0.31	9.37	2	1.22	0.1
May 2026	0.31	9.82	1.77	1	0.1
Jun 2026	0.32	10.23	1.99	1.24	0.1
Jul 2026	0.32	10.1	1.38	0.79	0.09
Aug 2026	0.33	10.41	1.33	0.8	0.1

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.

In those twelve months, riders asked to share on roughly 1.3% to 2.5% of completed app trips, and a match happened on roughly 0.8% to 1.5%. So nearly every app trip you drive is a private trip for the person who booked it.

Who writes it and how often

By year: 2 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 2 in 2020 and 1 in 2025 (OATH data, first charge only, queried October 12, 2026). Six summonses in more than ten years makes this one of the rarest codes in Chapter 80. OATH's data has no usable location field for these rows, so it can't show where they were written.

Common situations

At an airport curb, a driver tells a booked rider that another traveler is coming along "because we're going the same way." That is this rule, and taking the unbooked traveler may also be 80-19(c)(2).
A driver refuses to start a private trip unless the rider agrees to pick up someone else.
Not this rule: the app matched two riders who both chose a shared ride.
Not this rule: your rider asks you to stop and collect their friend. Make sure any change goes through the app or base so the trip record matches.

Does the summons fit?

Questions to work through with your representative

Answer a few questions · general information, not legal advice

Question 1How was the trip booked?

How was the trip booked?

As a shared ride in the app or through the base
Good to know: What this means for you
Riders who chose a shared trip agreed to share. The app or base record of the booking type is the key evidence.
As a private trip
Did you make sharing a condition of the ride?
- No, the passenger asked to bring someone
  Note: What this means for you
  The rule bars requiring the passenger to share. Their own request points the other way. Save any app messages.
- Yes, or the other person got in anyway
  Watch out: What this means for you
  The facts may match. Check whether an 80-19(c)(1) or (c)(2) charge was also written for the second rider; those penalties are much higher.

Penalty and points

	Amount
Fine	$100
TLC points	None listed in Chapter 80
Appearance	Not required

What to do

Reading a TLC driver summons

A simplified illustration. Real summonses differ by issuing agency and year, so fields may sit in different places.

Summons numberThe unique number for this summons. Use it to check the official OATH record (or our summons lookup) and write it on anything you send.
Respondent & licenseWho is charged and their TLC license number. Check both are yours and tell your representative about any error.
Date, time & placeWhen and where the officer says the violation happened. Compare it with your trip records, app history and dashcam.
Rule or law violatedThe TLC rule or NYC law you're charged under, such as §80-13(a)(2). Look the code up in the violation library or the summons decoder to see what it means and the listed penalty.
Hearing date & methodYour OATH hearing date. You must respond by this date — by paying (where allowed) or by having your hearing — or OATH can enter a default. See hearing options.
Appearance requiredSome charges can't simply be paid: you (or your representative) must have a hearing. Check whether this is marked on your summons.
PenaltyIf an amount is shown, check it against the rule. Many TLC rules list a lower amount if you plead guilty before the hearing and a higher one if you're found guilty after it.
Issued byWho wrote the summons: a TLC inspector, Port Authority police, or NYPD. The layout differs by issuing agency.

Download the trip details from your app or base: the booking type (shared or private), pickup and drop-off times.
Look for other charges on the same summons or a second one, especially 80-19(c)(1) or (c)(2).
Answer before the hearing date.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fine for 80-19(c)(3)?

$100. Chapter 80 lists no TLC points, and you don't have to appear in person.

Does this ban Uber or Lyft shared rides?

No. The rule bars a driver from requiring a passenger to share. A rider who chose a shared option in the app has agreed to share. What the driver must not do is put a second rider in with someone who did not choose that.

Does the rule cover a second rider the app sends me?

If both riders booked a shared ride, they chose to share and this rule is not broken. The rule targets a driver who makes sharing a condition of the ride for someone who did not choose it. Picking up anyone who was not booked through your base is a separate, bigger problem under 80-19(c)(1).

How often is it written?

Almost never. OATH data shows 6 summonses with 80-19(c)(3) as the first charge from 2016 to October 12, 2026, all written by Port Authority Police.

What are the taxi versions of this rule?

Yellow taxis: 80-19(a)(2) bars extra pickups unless the passenger asks ($100) and 80-19(a)(3) bars suggesting it ($50). Green cabs: 80-19(b)(3) and (b)(4).

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on Oct 12, 2026.

TLC Rules Chapter 80: Drivers (PDF, updated June 6, 2025), §80-19(c) nyc.gov
NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi), queried Oct 12, 2026 data.cityofnewyork.us
TLC monthly industry indicators (CSV), read Oct 12, 2026 nyc.gov
TLC Trip Record Data (high-volume FHV), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 nyc.gov
TLC 2025 Annual Report (Jan 2026) 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.