Upper East Side South Taxi Zone (237): Trips, Hours & Fares

Upper East Side South (TLC zone 237) is the busiest zone in New York City for yellow taxis. In TLC trip records for September 2025 to August 2026, 2,064,723 yellow taxi trips started here, more than in any of TLC's 263 zones. Counting Uber and Lyft too, there were 4,057,069 pickups (about 11,115 a day), and yellow cabs had 50.9% of them. Trips are short: the median yellow fare is $10.70, and almost one in five trips ends in this zone or the zone just north of it.

Upper East Side South at a glance

The zone runs from about 59th Street north to the mid-70s, between Central Park and the Lenox Hill zones. It borders Upper East Side North (236), Lenox Hill West (141), Midtown East (162), Midtown North (163), Sutton Place/Turtle Bay North (229) and Central Park (43). TLC files it under "Yellow Zone" in its lookup table; the tag is a data category and gives yellow cabs no special rights here.

When rides start: weekday evenings

On an average weekday, pickups climb through the afternoon and peak at 6 p.m. (about 888) and 5 p.m. (about 859). The 4–6 p.m. hours together average about 2,528 pickups, against about 1,538 in the 7–9 a.m. hours. Saturdays peak in the late afternoon (5 p.m., about 792). Sundays are busiest from 1 to 3 p.m.

Late nights are quiet for a zone this size. Only about 2.7% of weekday pickups come between midnight and 5 a.m. Drop-offs peak at 6 p.m. on weekdays, and also around midday on weekends.

A strong autumn and a weak summer

October 2025 had the most pickups (382,873). August 2026 had the fewest (258,906), about 32% lower. That is a bigger drop than most nearby zones show. Yellow pickups fell further (about 36%) than app pickups (about 28%). The data shows the size of the drop but not the cause.

Where trips go: mostly short hops

This zone's trips are more concentrated than most. 10.2% of pickups go to Upper East Side North and 7.8% stay inside zone 237 itself. The ten top destinations take 46.1% of all trips. Most are other East Side and Midtown zones, plus Lincoln Square East and Upper West Side South across the park. Airport trips are rare: 5.3% of app pickups and 1.0% of yellow pickups. The app share is below the middle value for Manhattan's "Yellow Zone" zones (about 7.9%).

Fares, tips and app pay

Two things stand out. The $10.70 median yellow fare is the lowest of any Manhattan "Yellow Zone" zone, because the trips are so short. And the 24.9% card tip rate is the highest of that group. App trips from here are longer and cost more. The median app driver pay is $17.90 per trip (tips and tolls not included).

Congestion fee and other lines

• MTA Congestion Relief Zone: the toll zone is Manhattan south of and including 60th Street. We compared TLC's zone shape with the city's 60th Street centerline. About 94% of zone 237 is north of 60th Street, so only the strip along its south edge is inside. Any trip to, from, within or through that zone pays the per-trip charge. As of 2026-10-12 it is $1.50 per app trip and $0.75 per taxi trip, paid by the passenger. In the data, 52.5% of yellow pickups and 64.6% of app pickups were charged. A trip is charged when it starts in that strip or runs into the zone to the south. See the full rate card.
• NYS congestion surcharge: zone 237 is entirely below 96th Street, inside the state's congestion area. A trip that begins and ends in New York State adds $2.50 in a medallion taxi or $2.75 in an FHV as of 2026-10-12.
• Hail Exclusionary Zone: this is Manhattan south of East 96th Street, so green cabs may not take hails or begin pre-arranged trips here (Chapter 51). Non-prearranged FHV pickups carry the higher penalties of 80-19(c)(2).

Taxi stands listed in the zone

Current DOT sign records show taxi-stand signs on four street segments: three on Park Avenue and one on Third Avenue. Two of them, Park Avenue and Third Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets, are on the block inside the congestion zone. DOT's relief-stand dataset lists no relief stand here.

Only taxis may load at these four stand blocks. An app driver who picks up at one faces a $350 fine for a first violation (80-19(d)(2)). Taxis join at the back of the line (80-19(d)(4)). See taxi stand rules.