💳 Fares, payments, records and e-hail apps

1. What determines the fare on a medallion taxicab street hail trip?

1. An agreed price
2. The taximeter
3. A base quote
4. The navigation app

The meter is the only lawful basis for the price of a street hail trip. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

2. When must the meter be started?

1. When the trip begins
2. When it is hailed
3. At the first junction
4. When the address is given

Starting it early or late are both fare violations, and both show in the electronic record. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

3. When must the meter be stopped?

1. Back at the pick-up point
2. When paid in full
3. When the trip ends
4. When the receipt prints

Leaving it running after arrival is one of the simplest and most detectable overcharges. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

4. What does the meter charge for while a taxicab is stopped in traffic?

1. Waiting time
2. No charge
3. The mileage rate
4. A flat delay fee

The meter switches between a distance rate and a time rate as the vehicle slows and stops. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

5. Why does the meter charge for time as well as distance?

1. Passengers expect a fare that rises steadily throughout the journey
2. Time charges compensate the driver for the fuel used while stationary
3. The Commission requires a minimum charge for every trip that is taken
4. A trip in heavy traffic occupies the vehicle without covering distance

Without a time element a driver would lose money on exactly the trips that take the longest. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

6. May a driver switch off the meter and agree a price instead?

1. Yes, provided the agreed price is lower than the meter would have shown
2. No
3. Yes, provided the passenger asks for the arrangement before starting off
4. Yes, provided the arrangement is noted in the electronic trip record after

An off-meter price is unlawful in a street hail even when it happens to favour the passenger. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

7. What is the consequence of tampering with a taximeter?

1. It is an inspection matter
2. It is treated as fraud
3. It is the owner's problem
4. It earns a warning

The meter is sealed precisely so that any interference is visible and provable. Source: 35 RCNY, taximeter requirements.

8. What should a driver do if the meter is not working at the start of a shift?

1. Use a navigation device to calculate the distance travelled
2. Estimate the fare and explain the estimate to each passenger
3. Charge a fixed amount agreed with each passenger in advance
4. Not carry street hail passengers until it is repaired

Without a working meter a taxicab has no lawful way to charge for a street hail at all. Source: 35 RCNY, taximeter requirements.

9. What is the rate card in a licensed taxicab?

1. The list of destinations the vehicle is permitted to travel to that day
2. The record of the fares collected during the current working shift
3. The document that records the vehicle's last inspection and its result
4. The displayed statement of the fares and charges in force

It is what allows a passenger to check the charge without taking anybody's word for it. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate card requirements.

10. Why is the rate card worth reading again when a driver takes out a vehicle he has not driven before?

1. The card records the identity of the previous driver of the vehicle
2. Rates and surcharges change from time to time
3. The card must be signed by each driver before a shift may be started
4. An inspector may ask the driver to recite it during a roadside stop

Charging last year's rate is still an overcharge even when it is an honest mistake. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate card requirements.

11. A passenger asks whether the fare is correct. What is the quickest honest answer?

1. Explain that fares are set by the base and cannot be checked
2. Show him the rate card and the meter together
3. Tell him that the amount is correct and continue the journey
4. Offer to reduce the fare so that the question does not arise

The two documents together answer the question in a few seconds and end the conversation. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate card requirements.

12. Who adds statutory surcharges to a metered fare?

1. The passenger
2. The driver, by hand
3. The base's invoice
4. The meter itself

Surcharges added by hand are indistinguishable from overcharges as far as the rules are concerned. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

13. What should a passenger see on the receipt about surcharges?

1. A single total with no breakdown of the elements
2. Each one itemised alongside the metered amount
3. The surcharges only, without the metered portion
4. Nothing, because surcharges are not shown on receipts

An itemised receipt is what makes a fare checkable after the passenger has left the vehicle. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab receipt requirements.

14. Why do surcharge amounts change from time to time?

1. They are set by rule and are revised when the rule changes
2. They vary with the traffic conditions at the time of the trip
3. They are negotiated between the driver and the base each year
4. They depend on the borough in which the trip actually began

That is exactly why the current rate card, and not a driver's memory, governs the charge. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

15. Which party bears the cost of a toll paid during a metered trip?

1. The driver
2. The passenger
3. The driver's base
4. Nobody, it is free

Tolls are added to the fare, and charging one that was not incurred is an overcharge. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

16. May a driver charge for a toll on a crossing the trip did not use?

1. No
2. Yes, if the crossing would have been the quicker route to take
3. Yes, if the passenger chose a longer route to avoid the crossing
4. Yes, if the amount is small in relation to the total fare charged

A toll that was never paid is simply money taken from the passenger for nothing. Source: 35 RCNY Chapter 80, fares and overcharging.

17. What should a driver do before taking a tolled crossing?

1. Telephone the base to record the crossing that will be used
2. Ask the passenger to pay the toll separately in cash
3. Obtain the written consent of the passenger for the charge
4. Tell the passenger it will be added to the fare

A toll explained in advance never becomes a dispute at the end of the trip. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

18. A passenger asks the driver to avoid tolls even though the trip will take longer. What is the position?

1. The driver must obtain the base's approval for the change of route
2. The driver must take the fastest route in every circumstance
3. The driver may charge the toll anyway for the time that was lost
4. The passenger may choose the route and the fare follows it

Route choice belongs to the passenger and the meter simply records the trip that results. Source: 35 RCNY Chapter 80, driver duties.

19. What kind of fare applies between Kennedy Airport and Manhattan?

1. A flat fare set by rule
2. An ordinary metered fare
3. A negotiated fare
4. A fare set by the airport

The flat fare is set by rule and the amount is revised from time to time, so the rate card governs. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

20. Where does a driver find the current amount of a flat fare?

1. In the driver's own notes from the education course attended
2. On the rate card in the vehicle
3. On the receipt printed at the end of the previous airport journey
4. From the dispatcher standing at the airport taxi rank that morning

Rates change, and the card in the vehicle is updated when they do. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate card requirements.

21. Are tolls included in a flat airport fare?

1. Yes, unless the passenger asks for a particular route to be used
2. Yes, the flat fare covers every charge that could arise
3. No, lawful tolls are added to it
4. No, and the driver may also add a surcharge for the luggage carried

Tolls and statutory surcharges sit on top of the flat amount, and luggage charges do not exist. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

22. How is a trip from Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport charged in a taxicab?

1. At a fare agreed with the passenger before setting off
2. At the same flat fare as a Kennedy Airport journey
3. On the meter, like an ordinary trip
4. At a rate set by the airport operator for the terminal used

Only the Kennedy trip carries the flat fare; the other airport is charged normally. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

23. How is a trip to Newark Airport charged in a medallion taxicab?

1. On the ordinary meter rate for the whole of the journey
2. Under the rule for trips outside the city
3. At the same flat fare that applies to Kennedy Airport trips
4. At an amount agreed with the passenger before departure

Trips beyond the city line follow the out-of-city rule rather than the ordinary meter rate. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

24. What governs the fare for a taxicab trip beyond the city line?

1. The amount the passenger is willing to pay for the longer distance
2. The meter, running at the ordinary city rate throughout the journey
3. The rule for trips outside the city
4. The tariff published by the county in which the trip is to finish

The rules deal with these trips separately because the return journey is usually empty. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

25. What should a driver do before starting a long trip out of the city?

1. Obtain written authority from the base for the journey
2. Collect the estimated fare from the passenger in advance
3. Explain how the fare will be calculated
4. Record the odometer reading in the electronic trip record

A surprise at the end of a long trip is the fare complaint that is hardest to settle. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

26. Why does a for-hire vehicle have no taximeter?

1. Its fares are arranged in advance rather than metered
2. Meters are too expensive to fit to the whole for-hire fleet
3. Its trips are always shorter than those of a medallion taxicab
4. The state prohibits meters outside medallion taxicab vehicles

Prearrangement is the defining feature of for-hire service and it is why the pricing works differently. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

27. How is the price of a for-hire trip normally fixed?

1. By the meter, which is fitted to every licensed for-hire vehicle
2. By the driver, once the destination has been given to him
3. By the base or the application, before the trip begins
4. By the Commission, which publishes a tariff for for-hire service

The passenger is entitled to know the price before he travels, which is the point of prearrangement. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

28. May a for-hire driver charge more than the quoted price at the end of the trip?

1. No
2. Yes, if the traffic was heavier than had been expected
3. Yes, if the passenger asked for an additional stop en route
4. Yes, if the journey took longer than the application predicted

The quoted price is the contract, and changing it afterwards is the for-hire version of an overcharge. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

29. A for-hire passenger asks to add a stop. How should the driver handle the price?

1. By charging the original price and absorbing the difference
2. By agreeing a cash supplement directly with the passenger
3. Through the application or the base, not by a private deal
4. By ending the trip and starting a new one at the same price

A private cash arrangement leaves no record and turns a lawful trip into an unrecorded one. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

30. Which vehicle may accept a street hail anywhere in the city?

1. A medallion taxicab
2. A green Boro Taxi
3. A for-hire vehicle
4. A limousine on hire

The citywide hail right belongs to the medallion and to nothing else. Source: 35 RCNY, medallion taxicab service rules.

31. Where may a street hail livery lawfully accept a hail?

1. Outside the Manhattan exclusionary zone and away from the airports
2. Anywhere in the city, on exactly the same terms as a medallion taxicab
3. Only in the borough in which the vehicle and its owner are registered
4. Only within the Manhattan central business district during the daytime

The green cab exists to serve the areas the yellow fleet did not reach. Source: 35 RCNY, street hail livery rules.

32. How does a street hail livery charge for a street hail trip?

1. At a price agreed with the passenger before the journey begins
2. On the meter, at the taxicab rate
3. At a price quoted by the base that the vehicle is affiliated with
4. At a flat rate published for each borough by the Commission itself

The green cab uses the same metered rates as the yellow cab for a street hail. Source: 35 RCNY, street hail livery rules.

33. A for-hire vehicle takes a street hail. What has gone wrong?

1. The vehicle should have used its meter for the journey instead
2. The trip was not prearranged and the pricing has no lawful basis
3. The base should have been informed within twenty-four hours of it
4. The driver should have issued a receipt showing the agreed price

Two things fail at once: the pick-up is unlawful and the fare has nothing to rest on. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

34. Must a medallion taxicab accept a credit card?

1. Only when the trip began at one of the airports in the city
2. Only for fares above a certain amount fixed by the Commission
3. Only when the passenger has no cash available for the journey
4. Yes

Refusing a card is one of the clearest violations there is and every passenger is told so in the vehicle. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab payment requirements.

35. What is the position when a driver says the card reader is broken in order to obtain cash?

1. It is acceptable when the vehicle is far from the base's own garage
2. It is acceptable provided the passenger is told before the trip starts
3. It is a violation, whatever the state of the reader
4. It is a matter for the owner of the vehicle rather than for the driver

The complaint is about being forced into a payment method the passenger did not choose. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab payment requirements.