🔧 Vehicle and inspection requirements

1. Besides the driver, what else must hold a Commission licence before it may carry paying passengers?

1. The vehicle itself
2. The passenger who books it
3. The road the trip begins on
4. The bank account used for payment

Two separate licences meet on every lawful trip: one for the person at the wheel and one for the car around him. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle licensing rules.

2. May a driver holding a valid Commission licence work in a private car that has no vehicle licence?

1. No, the vehicle must be licensed as well
2. Yes, the driver licence covers the car
3. Yes, if the trip was booked by telephone
4. Yes, provided the passenger is told first

A licensed driver in an unlicensed car is an unlicensed trip, and both the driver and the owner answer for it. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle licensing rules.

3. What happens to a vehicle licence when it expires and is not renewed?

1. The vehicle may no longer be used for passenger service
2. The vehicle may still be used for prearranged trips
3. The vehicle may be used until the next inspection date
4. The vehicle may be used with the owner's written consent

Expiry is not a grace period; the authority to carry passengers simply ends on the date printed on the licence. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle licensing rules.

4. Who is responsible for keeping a vehicle licence current?

1. The owner of the vehicle
2. The driver who last used the vehicle
3. The passenger who booked the trip
4. The insurance company

Renewal follows ownership, which is why a driver who leases should check the paperwork before taking the keys. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle licensing rules.

5. What kind of registration plate does a licensed for-hire vehicle carry in New York City?

1. A temporary plate renewed at each inspection
2. An ordinary passenger plate like any private car
3. A commercial plate issued for goods vehicles
4. A T plate issued for Commission-licensed vehicles

The plate is the first thing an officer reads, so it has to say what the car is before anyone looks inside. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, plate classes.

6. Why does the city require licensed vehicles to be identifiable from outside?

1. So that the vehicle can be parked in restricted spaces
2. So that enforcement and passengers can tell a licensed car from any other
3. So that the vehicle pays a reduced rate at bridges
4. So that the vehicle may use the bus lane during rush hour

Identification is what separates a regulated trip from an unregulated one at a glance. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle licensing rules.

7. What must a driver do if the vehicle's Commission decal has fallen off or become illegible?

1. Have it replaced before carrying passengers again
2. Write the number on the side window with a marker pen
3. Carry a photograph of the decal in the vehicle instead
4. Report it at the next scheduled inspection

A decal nobody can read identifies nothing, and the rule asks for identification rather than for a sticker. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle rules.

8. What colour is a medallion taxicab in New York City?

1. Apple green
2. Yellow
3. White
4. Black

Colour is the fastest signal on a crowded street about which car a person may lawfully raise a hand for. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

9. What colour is a Street Hail Livery in New York City?

1. Dark blue
2. Medallion yellow
3. Apple green
4. Plain silver

The green colour was chosen precisely so that no passenger would mistake one class of car for the other. Source: 35 RCNY, Street Hail Livery rules.

10. Why are the two street hail classes painted different colours?

1. Because they are insured by different companies
2. Because they are inspected at different facilities
3. Because they may lawfully pick up in different parts of the city
4. Because they are registered in different counties

The paint carries a legal boundary that a passenger on the kerb could not otherwise see. Source: 35 RCNY, Street Hail Livery rules.

11. May a for-hire vehicle be painted yellow and fitted with a roof light showing a number?

1. Yes, provided the base agrees in writing
2. No, that would imitate a medallion taxicab
3. Yes, if the vehicle also holds a livery licence
4. Yes, as long as the meter is switched off

Imitation is treated as seriously as an unlawful pickup, because it produces the same mistake in the passenger's mind. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission vehicle rules.

12. Where is the medallion of a taxicab physically attached?

1. To the rear bumper
2. To the inside of the glove compartment
3. To the hood of the vehicle
4. To the driver's own licence holder

Bolting it to the bodywork means the authority stays with the car and cannot quietly travel to another one. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

13. What does the medallion number on the roof light have to match?

1. The registration sticker on the windscreen
2. The driver's own licence number
3. The base licence number
4. The medallion attached to the vehicle

Every visible number on a taxicab is meant to point at the same vehicle, so that a passenger's complaint can find it. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

14. A driver notices that the number on the roof light does not match the medallion on the hood. What does that indicate?

1. That the roof light was replaced at the last inspection
2. Something is wrong with the vehicle's identification and it should not be worked
3. That the vehicle has been transferred to a different base
4. That the vehicle is operating under a temporary permit

A mismatch is exactly what a swapped or borrowed identity looks like from the street. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

15. On a medallion taxicab, what does a lit centre number panel with the side panels dark mean?

1. The taxicab is off duty
2. The taxicab is available for hire
3. The taxicab is carrying a passenger
4. The taxicab is on its way to a garage

The lighting scheme lets a person on the pavement read availability from half a block away. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

16. On a medallion taxicab, what does an unlit roof light mean?

1. The taxicab is available for hire
2. The taxicab already has a passenger
3. The taxicab has been taken out of service
4. The taxicab is waiting at an airport stand

Darkness is the signal for occupied, which is why a driver who forgets the switch collects hails he cannot take. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

17. What do the illuminated off duty panels on either side of the number mean?

1. The taxicab is not accepting hires
2. The taxicab is accepting hires in Manhattan only
3. The taxicab is accepting hires to the airports only
4. The taxicab is being driven to an inspection

Announcing unavailability honestly is the alternative to refusing passengers one by one at the kerb. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab vehicle rules.

18. Why is it a problem to drive with the off duty lights on while still picking up passengers?

1. It stops the credit card reader from working
2. It shortens the life of the roof light unit
3. It prevents the meter from recording the trip
4. It tells the street one thing while the driver does another

The signal exists so people can rely on it, and a driver who uses it selectively is choosing his passengers by stealth. Source: 35 RCNY Chapter 80, driver conduct.

19. What must a for-hire vehicle be affiliated with in order to work?

1. A licensed garage
2. A licensed base
3. A licensed insurance broker
4. A licensed inspection station

The base is the point at which a trip is recorded and someone other than the driver becomes answerable for it. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle base rules.

20. What happens to a for-hire vehicle whose base affiliation ends?

1. It may accept trips anywhere outside Manhattan
2. It may accept trips arranged directly by the driver
3. It may accept trips for thirty days while it finds a base
4. It may not accept trips until it is affiliated again

Without a base there is no lawful dispatch, and a trip with no dispatch behind it is an unlawful one. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle base rules.

21. May a for-hire vehicle be affiliated with more than one base at the same time?

1. No, unless the vehicle is wheelchair accessible
2. No, one base only, for life
3. No, unless the bases share an owner
4. Yes, multiple affiliations are permitted

Drivers who take work from several applications rely on this, and each base still records the trips it dispatches. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle base rules.

22. Which document tells a driver which base a vehicle is affiliated with?

1. The state registration document kept in the car
2. The driver's own Commission licence document
3. The insurance card kept in the glove compartment
4. The vehicle's Commission licence record

Affiliation is recorded against the car rather than the person, so the paperwork of the car is where it is read. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle base rules.

23. Which class of vehicle is forbidden to carry a taximeter?

1. A wheelchair accessible taxicab
2. A medallion taxicab
3. A Street Hail Livery
4. A for-hire vehicle

The prohibition is what keeps the price of a booked trip a matter of agreement rather than of distance ticking over. Source: 35 RCNY, for-hire vehicle rules.

24. Why is a meter fitted to a taxicab but not to a for-hire vehicle?

1. Because a taxicab travels longer distances on average than a booked car does
2. Because a taxicab is hailed on the street and its price must be set by rule
3. Because a taxicab pays a different insurance premium from that of a booked car
4. Because a taxicab is inspected more thoroughly

A passenger who steps into a car at random has no chance to negotiate, so the rate is decided before he arrives. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab rate of fare.

25. What is the technology system installed in a medallion taxicab called?

1. The Taxicab Passenger Enhancement Project system
2. The Street Hail Livery passenger technology system
3. The base dispatch and trip recording terminal system
4. The Accessible Dispatch call centre terminal system

One box holds the fare calculation, the card payment and the trip record together so that they cannot disagree. Source: 35 RCNY, taxicab technology system rules.

26. What is the equivalent technology system in a Street Hail Livery called?

1. The Accessible Dispatch Terminal
2. The Taxicab Passenger Enhancement Project system
3. The Commuter Van Dispatch system
4. The Livery Passenger Enhancement Program system

The green cars carry their own version of the same equipment, adapted to the class they serve. Source: 35 RCNY, Street Hail Livery rules.

27. What is the consequence of interfering with the seal on a taximeter?

1. It voids the vehicle's insurance for that day
2. It is treated as a serious offence against the fare system
3. It requires an extra inspection within six months
4. It transfers the vehicle to a different base

Everything the passenger is charged rests on the meter being what the Commission last certified. Source: 35 RCNY, taximeter rules.

28. In which borough is the Commission's vehicle inspection facility?

1. Staten Island
2. Manhattan
3. Brooklyn
4. Queens

Bringing every licensed car to one place is what makes a single standard possible across tens of thousands of vehicles. Source: TLC vehicle inspection programme.

29. Where is the Commission's inspection facility located within that borough?

1. Flushing
2. Woodside
3. Astoria
4. Jamaica

The site sits beside Northern Boulevard so that vehicles from every borough can reach it. Source: TLC vehicle inspection programme.

30. Is a Commission inspection the same thing as a state safety inspection?

1. No, the state inspection replaced it
2. Yes, one certificate covers both
3. Yes, if the state inspection is recent
4. No, they are separate requirements

A car can satisfy the state and still fail the standard applied to vehicles that carry the public for money. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.

31. What may a vehicle not do after it has failed a Commission inspection?

1. Be sold to another owner
2. Be driven to a repair shop for the work to be done
3. Be parked on the street overnight
4. Carry passengers until it passes a re-inspection

The failure is about the public in the back seat, not about the car being immobile. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.

32. What is the ordinary next step after a vehicle fails an inspection?

1. The licence is revoked permanently
2. The defects are repaired and the vehicle is re-inspected
3. The vehicle is transferred to another base
4. The driver is suspended for thirty days

Most failures are repairable, and the programme is built to get cars fixed rather than to remove them. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.

33. What happens if a vehicle is not presented for its scheduled inspection?

1. Nothing, provided it is presented within the year
2. The owner may be issued a summons and the licence may be suspended
3. The inspection is automatically rescheduled twice
4. The vehicle is inspected at the roadside instead

An appointment that can be ignored without consequence is not an inspection programme at all. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.

34. A vehicle passes inspection in the morning and its brake warning light comes on that afternoon. May it work?

1. Yes, the inspection certificate is valid until the next one
2. No, a vehicle must be safe at the time it is used, not only on inspection day
3. Yes, provided the driver reports it at the end of the shift
4. Yes, if the driver avoids expressways for the rest of the day

Certification records a condition on one day and imposes a duty on every other day. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.

35. Apart from safety, what else is examined during a Commission inspection?

1. The vehicle's emissions
2. The driver's medical certificate
3. The base's dispatch records
4. The owner's tax filings

Cars that run all day in dense streets are held to what comes out of the exhaust as well as to what holds the wheels on. Source: 35 RCNY, Commission inspection rules.