How to Get a Hack License in New York City

How To Get A Hack License In New York City

A New York City Taxi Drivers License is called a “Hack License”. The “Hack” license allows the holder / driver to operate a Yellow Medallion Taxicab in New York City. Only Yellow Taxicabs are allowed to pick up passengers hailing from the street. The Hack license, issued through The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, is the only license for operating a Yellow Taxicab.

There are other licenses issued by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission for car service and limousines but they can not be used to operate the Yellow Taxicab. The Hack license however can be used to operate a limousine or car service vehicle. This fact makes the Hack License the most valuable of NYC T&LC issued operator licenses, as well as the most prestigious.

There are approximately 44,000 drivers carrying a Hack License in New York City today.

HOW TO GET A HACK LICENSE IN NYC

The Process and Requirements

• All applicants for a New York City Taxi Hack License must be no less than nineteen (19) Years of age
• Applicants are required to have, a Class A, B, C, or E N.Y. State Drivers License, or a license from New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania of a similar class.
• Most licenses in New York State are Class D.
• To change a license from a class D to a class E one must go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pay an upgrade fee.
• There will be no test.
• The fee will be approximately fifty dollars.

An applicant may not have outstanding parking, or traffic summonses. Money owed to the New York City for parking or traffic violations must be paid, or a documented settlement agreement with the appropriate agency must be presented to the NYC T&LC licensing division at the time of application.

Applicants for a New York City Taxi Hack License must be citizens, or legal residents of the United States.

All applicants for a “Hack License” are required to attend a New York State certified, six-hour Defensive Driving Course.
• This defensive driving class must be attended within six months of the date of application to the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission for the Hack License.
• The number one provider of defensive driving courses for New York City Taxi Drivers is the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. Mastercabbie.com. Classes are available six days per week. The price ( On 10/29/07) is $45. or $39. with online registration.

Applicants are required to complete Form B of the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission Taxi Drivers Application. This must be completed by a certified Medical Doctor.
• The application must be submitted in person to the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission at either 32-02 Queens Blvd. Long Island City N.Y. 11101 Monday through Friday 9AM to 4PM.
• A secondary location for submission is in Staten Island. Open Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays at 1893 Richmond Terrace Staten Island NY 10302.
• No walk-ins are permitted at the Staten Island Location.
• For an appointment call: 212-227-6324.
• At the time of application the applicant will be required to pay a sixty dollar application fee by money order made payable to the NYC TLC.
• At the time of application the applicant is also required to pay a seventy-five dollar fingerprinting fee by money order made payable to N.Y.S.D.C.J.S.
Applicants for a Hack License are required to be tested for illegal drugs. A Hack License will not be issued to any person not completing the test.
• The only pre-licensing approved drug testing center is at 31-00 47th Ave. Long Island City NY 11101.
• It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Payment must be by money order made payable to Lab Corp. Inc.
• Failing the drug test will result in a licensing standards hearing conducted by the NYC T&LC. The application for the Hack License may be denied a license may not be issued in this case.

NYC requires mandatory pre-license training for all New York City taxi drivers. The training is conducted by approved training institutions. The minimum training requirement is a twenty-four hour program. A three day course, consisting of three eight hour components. Geography/Map Reading, Rules and Regulations / Defensive Driving and Customer Service are some of the topics of study.

There is a separate course consisting of Eighty Hours of classroom study requiring nine eight hour days of classroom training, and one day of testing. The Eighty-hour Program is the program on which the New York City Taxi driver test is based.

Other programs, for how to get a hack license which have no time constraints are also available. The most prominent program is conducted by Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. The programs are unlimited in length, so long as the student maintains a regular schedule at the school.
Other unlimited programs include all for the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission application process. Persons utilizing credit cards make use of this option to have Master Cabbie Taxi Academy make the fee’s available when the student is ready for each phase of the Hack licensing process. This removes the need to purchase money orders for which only cash can be used.

The taxi driver test for how to get a hack license in New York City consists of two parts. It is administered by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission each week at the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy.
• The Hack License applicant must successfully complete an English Proficiency as part of the exam. It is a low level ESL exam for basic, English proficiency, consisting of four parts. There are thirty questions, fifteen of which are fill-ins, and fifteen of which are multiple choice. An applicant must score twenty-one correctly to pass the exam. Applicants failing the exam are allowed to sit for a second exam on another date. Applicants failing the exam for a second time must submit a new application to the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission if they wish to continue the process of obtaining a New York City Hack License.
• The final step in the process of How To Get A Hack License in NYC is, The New York City Taxi Operators exam. The Taxi Operators exam consists of two parts. One part is open book and the other is closed book. Part One consists of ten questions. The applicant is allowed to use a Five (5) Borough New York City Atlas and a Street address locator during this portion of the exam. For this portion of the exam forty-five minutes is allowed.
• Part Two of the New York City Taxi Operators exam allows the applicant seventy-five minutes and consists of forty questions. Approximately twelve questions will pertain to rules and regulations and defensive driving questions. The remaining twenty-eight questions will pertain to geography, landmarks, highways, air, bus and train terminals, etc. Applicants must answer thirty-five questions correctly, scoring seventy percent, or better, to pass the exam. Applicants failing the exam are allowed to sit for a second exam on another date. Applicants failing the exam for a second time must submit a new application to the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission if they wish to continue the process.

Taxi drivers in New York City earn as much as one thousand dollars per week and more.

If you wish to apply for a New York City Hack License you should contact Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. At: 718-472-1699 or 1-800-955-TAXI.

© Terry Gelber October 2007
Terry Gelber has a NYC Hack License.