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Big Issues

Professional Drivers

A line of MTA buses waits in traffic in downtown Flushing, Queens

Drivers of buses, taxis, and for-hire vehicles move millions of New Yorkers, operating on some of the most crowded and complex streets in the nation. To be a professional driver in New York City is to hold tremendous responsibility not just for other roads users, but for your passengers. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) have put in place Vision Zero training programs that focus on safety above all.


Bus Drivers

MTA New York City Transit’s Department of Buses has trained over 45,300 bus operators since 2014. The Vision Zero curriculum includes training on how to drive defensively, avoid distractions and maintain focus, adjust speed to conditions, anticipate traffic light changes, navigate around obstructed vision areas, and watch for vulnerable road users. A special focus is placed on safe driving and turning near cyclists and micromobility users, who may have less predictable patterns of movement.

Having clear, unobstructed direct vision is crucial for safely driving a bus. Older designs of buses have thicker A-pillars – the vertical support connecting the roof and the body of the bus at the side of the windshield – which can create a blind spot for the driver. New buses will include modified A-pillars to give bus operators a less-obstructed view. Where possible, existing buses are being retrofitted with improved window and mirror design to similarly improve visions.  

Technology can assist with improving driver vision as well. All new MTA buses now include full camera monitoring – inside, outside, and in the driver’s seat. Audible warning devices, such as the Pedestrian Turn Warning System (PTWS), which broadcasts to people outside the bus that the vehicle is turning, will be included on all future bus purchases as well. New advanced technologies continue to be explored, such as new bus simulators, virtual reality devices, advance mirror systems, and visual detection warning systems.


Taxi and For-Hire Vehicle Drivers

TLC is also increasing their focus on safe vehicles for its approximately 175,000 licensed drivers, examining the role that the national trend towards larger vehicles and SUVs has played in the increase in crash fatalities among road users. TLC is currently exploring the possibility of imposing restrictions on vehicle size in the for-hire vehicle fleet, where owners currently have a wider range of options than yellow taxi drivers do. TLC will review the research on this topic, analyze its own crash and violation data, and determine what measures can be taken in relation to vehicle specifications to improve the safety of the TLC-licensed fleet.

Training for TLC-licensed drivers focuses on Vision Zero and includes the groundbreaking video, “Drive Like Your Family Lives Here,” that was produced in conjunction with the advocacy group Families for Safe Streets. In this video, which is available subtitled in the most commonly-spoken languages for TLC drivers, the families of New Yorkers killed in crashes speak frankly about the impacts on their lives.

The TLC Vision Zero website includes crash data for the public and safety information for drivers and base owners. In addition, the annual TLC Honor Roll recognizes taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers who maintain outstanding safety records and provide exemplary customer service.