TLC Celebrates Taxi Appreciation Day 2025 on October 16
When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Behind the wheel of Commissioner Cab, I’ve learned that bathroom breaks are a constant juggling act for drivers. On one of my airport trips, the destination took me outside the city, and I had to balance getting the passenger home while trying to figure out when and how I’d be able to use a restroom.
This is a struggle drivers know all too well – and we are trying to create more solutions. I understand the impact and importance of relief stands and why they’re essential to working conditions. Currently, there are 113 relief stands across the city, but we are making strides to add more. As some licensees know, we sent out an interactive map a few months ago in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, allowing drivers to suggest locations where new relief stands were needed most. Since NYC DOT, not TLC, maintains and installs taxi and FHV relief stands, we’re collaborating on those collected responses and moving toward next steps.
There are useful tools drivers can use while they’re on the go. DOT’s map (on.nyc.gov/438twKh) lists relief stand locations, and NYC Parks also has a map of their public restrooms (nycgovparks.org/facilities/restrooms) that can be used as a resource, including five brand-new toilets also known as “Portland Loos” in neighborhoods with insufficient access to public restrooms.
On a related front, Marblegate recently announced plans to open two new Taxi Clubhouses. The original location in Chelsea (161 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10011) has become a favorite for drivers as a place to pray, recharge, and use the restrooms, and that demand has led to growth. According to Marblegate, the Clubhouse recently surpassed 100,000 total visits since its opening in 2023, and through just the first seven months of this year, total visits were up nearly 25% over the full year of 2024.
October was also a month of celebrations. I joined drivers at Taxi Appreciation Day on October 16. Every year, I am reminded that all TLC drivers are ambassadors for our city, especially at the airports. TLC drivers and vehicles bring people into the most recognizable skyline in the world – and you do it safely.
On the 19th, we marked the second anniversary of the Green Rides Initiative, which has made our city more sustainable and livable. And the sustainability milestones keep coming (August EV rideshare trips surpassed 2.5M, a new record). I also helped cut the ribbon at a new, public fast-charging station that opened at DOT’s White Plains Road Municipal Parking Field in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx (2071 White Plains Road). These eight plugs (four fast chargers and four Level 2s) will directly benefit Bronx EV drivers and underscore our commitment to continually helping licensees!
See you out there,
David Do
Commissioner, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission
