To All Interested Parties • Industry Notice #12-32

POINT REDUCTION PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission announces that under the terms of rule 59A-35(d) and rule 59B-35 (h):

www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/2011rulebook_ch59.pdf

a Point Reduction Program is now available. Attendance at this course, subject to the guidelines listed below, will remove one (1) penalty point accrued on a For-Hire Vehicle License or a Base License.

• Licensees will have the option of taking the course at any time during the term of their license. Upon completion of the course, one (1) point will be removed from the licensee's point total.
  
  
  
• The course is four (4) hours.
  
  
  
• The point reduction earned for taking and completing the course cannot be banked or carried over. If a licensee takes and completes the course but has no points assessed against their license their point total remains at zero.
  A negative point total will not be allowed.
  
  
  
• A licensee can only take the point reduction course once (1x) during the term of their license for point reduction purposes.
  
  
  
• Licensee may take the course up until the issuance of the final point that results in the revocation of their license and have a point removed from their license. Once a license is revoked they cannot take the course.
  
  
  
• Course option is not available to the licensee if an appeal of a revocation is in process. If the appeal is determined to have merit and the revocation is reversed, then the course can be taken.
  
  
  
• Person(s) required to attend:
  
  
  • Corporation – any officer
    
    
  • Partnership – one of named partners
    
    
  • Individual – owner
    

Additional personnel can be brought to the class, but this will mean an additional charge per individual. The course is being offered at TLC approved taxi schools.

Please check our website for further information at:
www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/taxischool_post_filing.pdf

Industry Notice #12-33

NEW SHORT RETURN (SHORTIE) POLICY AT JFK & LAGUARDIA AIRPORTS

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is pleased to announce that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently made changes to its Short Return Program at John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) airports in order to provide more fare opportunities for taxi drivers.

The Short Return Program permits taxis that are dispatched from either airport to defined areas to return and queue on expedited lines in the taxi holds (“Shortie Trips”).

The Short Return time has been expanded from 90 minutes to two hours at both airports. However, taxis must continue to return to the airport that issued the Short Return ticket.

The Short Return Area for LGA includes:

• all of the Borough of Queens, and
  
  
  
• destinations in the Clason Point,
  
  
  
• Hunts Point,
  
  
  
• Parkchester,
  
  
  
• Port Morris,
  
  
  
• Schuylerville,
  
  
  
• Soundview,
  
  
  
• Throgs Neck,
  
  
  
• Union Port,
  
  
  
• Westchester, and
  
  
  
• West Farms communities of the Bronx.
  

In addition, the Brooklyn area was expanded from the communities of Williamsburg and Greenpoint to include the entire borough of Brooklyn.

The Short Return Area for JFK remains the same and includes:

• all of Queens and Brooklyn, and
  
  
  
• the five towns of Long Island (Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Inwood, and Hewlett).
  

Drivers are reminded that they must use Rate Code 2 when picking up or dropping off passengers on trips between Manhattan and JFK airports, and not at any other time.

For Shortie Trips we recommend that drivers display their off-duty light if they intend to return directly to the airport and not pick up passengers along the way. Drivers who pick up passengers are required to take them to their destination otherwise it will be considered a service refusal subjecting them to possible enforcement action.

Visit Taxi and Limousine Commission website at: www.nyc.gov/taxi