In short

A trip that starts in New York City needs a TLC-licensed base, vehicle and driver, all listed on NYC Open Data
At the curb, look for T&LC on the plate, a TLC decal with license number and expiration, and the driver's TLC license on display
A written quote should name the vehicle class and fare basis and list every charge on top, including gratuity, tolls, the $2.75 state surcharge and the $0.75 congestion charge

Three licenses behind every ride

The TLC licenses for-hire service in New York City at three levels. The base is the company that takes the booking and sends the car. The vehicle has its own TLC license, and so does the driver. If a trip begins in New York City, both the driver and the vehicle must be TLC licensed, or the ride is illegal. Every for-hire vehicle, including rideshare cars and limousines, must also be linked to a TLC-licensed base.

There are four kinds of bases. They are community cars (the TLC also calls them liveries), black cars, luxury limousines and high-volume for-hire services. Each kind has its own rules. Community car, black car and luxury limousine bases only take prearranged trips. Black car and luxury limousine bases must get more than 90 percent of their business from payments other than passenger cash. Community car bases must offer flat fares up front. Luxury limousine bases run vehicles with 20 seats or fewer and may charge garage to garage, by flat rate, time or mileage. So on an hourly quote, ask if the clock starts at your door or when the car leaves its garage.

Look up the base on NYC Open Data

The TLC lists its licensed bases on NYC Open Data, the city's public data site at data.cityofnewyork.us, in a dataset called Current Bases. Each row has the base license number, the company's legal name, a phone number, the street address and the type of base. Search it for the company's name, or better, for the base license number once the company gives it to you.

Compare three details. The legal name is the licensed company. It isn't always the brand on a booking site. Ask which base sends the car and look for that name. The phone number should reach the same dispatch you booked with. The type of base should match what is being sold, because a luxury limousine base and a community car base are licensed for different work. The dataset says the newest list is in a linked TLC report. If a base is missing from the table, check there before you decide.

Check the car and the driver

Two more TLC datasets cover the car and the driver, and both are updated daily between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. For Hire Vehicles (FHV) Active lists all TLC-licensed vehicles in good standing. It shows the DMV plate number, the TLC license number and expiration date, and the number, name and type of its base. Search the plate of the car that arrives, and you'll see which base it belongs to. For Hire Vehicles (FHV) Active Drivers lists all licensed drivers in good standing, with license number, name and expiration date. The TLC asks you to check that the last update date says today or yesterday before you rely on it.

At the curb, you can check the same things in seconds. The TLC says a licensed vehicle has T&LC stamped at the bottom of its plate and a decal with its TLC license number and expiration date. Each driver should have a TLC license on display. To get that license, a new driver passes a drug test, fingerprinting and a medical exam. New drivers also complete a DMV-certified defensive driving course, a TLC course and exam, and passenger assistance and wheelchair accessible vehicle training.

Where illegal rides find passengers

The TLC lists the places where unlicensed drivers look for passengers. They include airports, train stations, concerts, sporting events, tourist attractions, Broadway shows and hotels. TLC drivers may not ask people if they need a ride. Except for yellow and green cabs, every trip must be booked ahead through a licensed app or dispatcher. If someone walks up in the arrivals hall and offers you a car, it's not the car you booked, whatever name they give.

JFK gives arriving passengers the same advice. Use the official pickup areas, and check the car's license plate before you get in. Your chauffeur should be able to give you the plate, the car and the pickup spot ahead of time. With those three, a wrong car is easy to spot. You can report illegal pickups and other violations by TLC vehicles by calling 311 or at portal.311.nyc.gov.

Questions to ask before you pay

Ask these questions, and get the answers in writing.

Which base dispatches the trip, and what is its TLC base license number?
Is the price a flat fare, an hourly rate, or time and mileage? For hourly bookings, what is the minimum, and does the clock start at your door or at the garage?
How many passengers, and how many large and small bags, does the vehicle class take?
How much waiting is included at an airport and at other pickups? Is it counted from touchdown or from the booked time, and what does each extra period cost?
Where exactly is the airport meeting point, and is a meet inside the terminal with a name sign a separate charge?
What happens if the flight lands early, late or at a different airport?
What are the cancellation terms, and until when can the trip be changed without charge?

What a written quote should list

A good quote names the vehicle class, the pickup date, time and address, the destination or the hours booked, the flight number on an airport trip, and the base fare. Then it lists each charge added to that fare, or says in writing that a charge is not included. On a New York City trip, look for these.

Gratuity, either a stated percentage or left to you.
Tolls, which depend on the bridges and tunnels the route uses.
The New York State congestion surcharge of $2.75 on for-hire trips within the state that begin in, end in or pass through Manhattan south of 96th Street. State rules require it to be passed to the passenger and shown separately on any receipt.
The MTA Congestion Relief Zone charge of $0.75 per black car trip that starts, ends or passes through Manhattan at and below 60th Street, paid by the passenger.
The Black Car Fund surcharge, a small percentage of the fare that member bases collect on every dispatched trip to pay for drivers' workers' compensation and benefits. It is charged only on the fare, and never on tips, tolls or congestion charges.
Airport parking, meet and greet fees, waiting beyond the free waiting time, and taxes.

Get the confirmation in writing, with the total or how it's worked out, and keep it until the invoice comes. We publish our hourly rates, minimums and flat airport fares for chauffeur service in New York, and our answers on waiting time, cancellation and payment. Use them to compare other quotes. If your company is choosing a vendor, start with our corporate black car checklist.

How to check a New York car service before you book