Editor
In 2015, TLC began collecting trip records electronically from For-Hire Vehicles (FHVs) on a regular basis. This included community, app-based, and luxury car services. Together with existing trip records from medallion taxis and SHLs, The NYC TLC has a better understanding of the movement of millions of passengers a year by our licensed for-hire services. This understanding is unmatched by any other jurisdiction.
For the first time ever, we are including data in this Factbook from the new app-based dispatch services in addition to many traditional for-hire services. As the record collection process continues, we hope to be able to include data from more and more of the for-hire services operating in the city.
TLC continues to make additional data publicly available. In 2015, TLC published medallion taxi and SHL trip records online which thousands of users download each month. In 2016, we added monthly FHV trip data. Data from this Factbook are available at nyc.gov/tlcfactbook.
Together, medallion taxis and SHLs conducted approximately 474,000 trips per day over 2014 and 2015. Trends are relatively stable during a typical work week with both taxi types reaching daily peaks between 6 PM and 8 PM each workday. It is at this time that approximately 9% of the weekly trips for each service take place. For the week overall, medallions reach their peak on Fridays at 8 PM while SHLs reach their peak on Saturday nights between 8 PM and midnight.
App-based FHVs performed an average of 146,000 trips each day in the second half of 2015. Trip peaks occur at times similar to SHLs with more trip volume occurring in the evening hours. A weekly peak in trips occurs on Saturday evenings. Overall, nearly a quarter (24%) of app trips occur between the hours of 8 PM and midnight.
Both SHLs and app-based services perform more of their trips, and more than medallions, during the evening shift change that typically occurs between 4 PM and 6 PM each day. During this time, 9% of weekly medallion taxi trips occur. 11% of both SHL and app trips occur over the same period.
The top 50 traditional FHV bases represented together performed an average of nearly 52,000 trips per day in the last quarter of 2015. For these FHV bases, the busiest time is actually the morning rush. Around 12% of their trips occur between the hours of 5 AM and 8 AM compared to medallions with 7%, SHLs with 5%, and app services with 7%.
When examining the distribution of trips by borough:
Medallion taxis continue to pick up passengers primarily in Manhattan: 92% of medallion trips originate there.
An additional 4% of medallion trips start at the airports with the remaining 4% of trips starting elsewhere in the city.
SHL service is spread throughout the boroughs with:
Over two-thirds (70%) of app-based FHV trips start in Manhattan,
Service from the top 50 traditional FHV companies is concentrated in the Bronx where 42% of the trips begin. Many of the companies are located in the Bronx.
Outside of the Bronx:
Millions of people land at NYC's two airports every year, and these travelers depend on reliable taxi service to reach their final destinations. At either airport, medallion taxis are able to transport passengers waiting at taxi stands, and SHLs and FHVs are permitted to pick up prearranged trips.
In 2014, medallion taxis transported around 20% of all passengers arriving or departing at LaGuardia Airport (LGA). SHLs, which are authorized to drop off street hailing passengers at airports, transported less than one percent of all passengers at LGA. At JFK Airport, medallions taxis transport a lower percentage of passengers (8%), while the Airtrain at JFK transports roughly 12% of passengers.
At different times of day or days of the week, airport pick ups make up a varying proportion of all passenger trips performed by medallion taxis, app-based FHVs, and traditional FHVs. In the mornings, between 5 AM and 8 AM, 4% of medallion taxi trips begin at the airports. 3% of app-based FHV trips and 2% of traditional FHV trips at this time start there as well.
Between 3 PM and 6 PM, 6% of medallion taxi trips start at the airports. 5% of traditional FHV trips and just 4% of app-based FHV trips start there at this time. When business is slower elsewhere between 10 PM and midnight, 6% of medallion taxi trips and 5% of both app-based FHV trips and traditional FHV trips begin at one of the airports.
More and more passengers continue to pay by credit card for trips in medallion taxis and SHLs which all have credit card readers. In 2015, nearly 62% of trips in medallion taxis and over 45% of all trips in SHLs were paid for by credit card. This is an increase from 2014 when 58% of medallion taxis and 41% of SHL trips were paid by credit card.
The hourly income of a taxi driver varies by the time of day and week with changing demand for service. In 2015, the average hourly gross income by a medallion driver was $30.41 including metered fares and any evening or overnight trip surcharges but not including tips. This is down from $31.23 in 2014. In 2015, the average gross earnings per hour by an SHL driver were $20.63, down from $21.32 in 2014.
For both medallion and SHL drivers, the evening hours are the more lucrative. For medallions, hourly gross income is highest on weeknights, especially Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. For SHLs, hourly gross income is highest on Friday and Saturday nights.
Gross driver fare income is based on currently available trip data and does not include additional forms of income, for example, medallion taxi drivers driving wheelchair-accessible vehicles and participating in the Accessible Dispatch Program. These trips provide additional income for trips completed. SHL drivers working through a base receive income from prearranged trips. Both also receive income from tips.
Many medallion drivers historically work shifts on a schedule set by medallion fleet owners. On an average weekday, the morning shift for a medallion taxi begins at 6:30 AM, and the evening shift begins at 5:15 PM. On weekends, the morning shift typically begins at 9:30 AM, and the evening shift typically begins at 5:15 PM. Medallion taxis are most active for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday shifts.
Over two-thirds of SHL owners drive their own vehicles with about half leasing the vehicle out some of the time. Since leasing arrangements are coordinated with the vehicle owner and not a fleet owner, most SHL drivers have flexibility on when to start a shift. With this flexibility, SHL drivers still prefer specific periods over others.
The average morning start time on a weekday is 7:45 AM, and the average evening start time is approximately 5:30 PM. On weekends, there is no clear start time as drivers gradually hit the road throughout the morning. On weekend evenings, drivers start at approximately 6:00 PM.
Popular morning work hours for SHL drivers are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Evening shifts are most popular on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
In 2014 and 2015, the number of medallion taxis on the road between 7:00 and 11:00 AM was generally lower on Mondays than for the rest of the week. On Mondays, the average number of taxis on the road was 10,856, whereas for the rest of the workweek the average was 11,758.
The day with the most medallion taxis on the road in the morning tends to be Thursday with an average of 11,836 active taxis. Similarly, Thursday is also the day with the highest rate of occupied medallion taxis reaching a peak occupancy rate of 56%.
On evenings between 5:00 and 7:00 PM, there are more active and occupied medallion taxis, especially at the end of the workweek. Fridays are the most active with an average of 12,133 medallions on the road, 67% of which are occupied. This is closely followed by Wednesdays and Thursdays with slightly fewer cabs on the road but with similar occupancy levels.
Another especially busy time is on weekdays from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM when many medallion taxis are changing shifts. During this time, when fewer taxis are on the road, those that are active are occupied at a rate between 50% and 67%. This high percentage suggests that the taxi supply is not meeting passenger demand.
As a result, the TLC introduced the Taxicab Leasing Pilot in October 2015. The pilot will test whether lease flexibility will increase service levels and driver income.
