To drive a yellow cab in New York City, you must have the NY hack license issued by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. Here are requirements for getting the taxi drivers license in NYC.
A NY hack license is the license needed to drive a New York City taxi. Officially, the NY hack license is called a New York City taxi operators license and it is issued by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. This license is good for driving in all five boroughs in New York City and having it allows the driver to operate a yellow medallion taxi cab.
In New York City, only a yellow medallion taxi cab is allowed to pick up passengers on the street. To operate a taxi, you must possess a taxi drivers license. You must apply for this license through the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
The licenses issued through this agency for car service or limousines do not cover the operation of a yellow cab. On the other hand, having the hack license allows the holder to operate a car service or limousine. Because of this, the NY hack license is the most prestigious and valuable of all the operator licenses issued by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.
Anyone interested in applying for this taxi drivers license may want to know what the requirements are. In order to apply for a NY hack license, you must be at least nineteen years old and possess a New York State drivers license that is either a Class A, B, C or E. You can also apply if you have a comparable drivers license from the states of Connecticut, Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
Most New York State driver licenses are Class D. To upgrade from a Class D to a Class E, you will need to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and pay an upgrade fee. There are no tests involved but you must be prepared to pay about fifty dollars for the fee.
If you are really interested in getting a NY hack license, make sure you have no unpaid parking tickets or traffic summons. If you owe NYC fees for parking or traffic violations, you must either have paid them or you must have a documented settlement agreement with whatever department is responsible. This proof must be submitted to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission with your application.
Another requirement is that you must be a citizen or a legal resident of the United States.
All applicants for the NY hack license must attend a state certified six-hour defensive driving course. The course must have been completed no longer than six months before the date on your application. If you need to take this class, a popular source is the American Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. They hold classes six days a week. You can even register for the class online but you must attend the class in person.
Besides the training and status requirements, you must meet a medical requirement. The medical form is titled Form B and is part of the taxi drivers application. This form must be completed by a licensed physician.
You must submit your application for a NY hack license in person at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, which is located at 32-02 Queens Blvd, Long Island City. Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.
They also have a location on Staten Island where you can turn in your application. This location is open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday only. The address is 1893 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10302. You must make an appointment at this location to have your application accepted. Call for an appointment at 212-227-6324.
There is an application fee of sixty dollars which must be paid at the time of submission. You must pay with a money order made payable to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.
When you apply, you must also pay a fee for fingerprinting which costs seventy-five dollars. Again, this fee must be paid by money order, made out to the N.Y.S.D.C.J.S.
NY hack license applicants must pass a test for illicit drugs. If you do not complete or pass this test, you will not get your license. The approved drug testing location for taxi driving applicants is found at 31-00 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY. This drug testing center is open for business Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. You must pay for the test at the time the test is performed with a money order payable to Lab Corp, Inc. Anyone applying for the NY hack license that fails the drug test will be sent to a licensing standards hearing run by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.
You will need to put in the time before getting your NY hack license to complete mandatory classroom training in subjects related to driving a yellow cab in New York City. There are city-approved training facilities that hold these classes. You will learn about the important city landmarks, tunnels, bridges and highways that you need to know well to be able to drive a yellow cab in New York City with success.
If you are interested in more information on applying for your NY hack license and meeting the requirements, you should contact the American Master Cabbie Taxi Academy.
