A New York City Taxi Medallion costs $227,000 for a private owner, and more for a fleet operator. I know that because I attended the auction on October 2, 1997. This gives you the right to operate a single taxi in New York City. In addition, you must pass a written test. I just got my grade back. I scored 96% on the test. As there were 50 questions, I must have gotten two wrong. Here is a sample test. To pass, you must get 70% of the questions right. The answers to all of these questions can be found in the materials which licensed taxi drivers are expected to know, but the real test is somewhat harder than the test below. Please note: These questions apply to New York City taxi drivers only. Drivers in other jurisdictions are subject to different regulations: The answers are at the bottom of: nystreet.htm .
SAMPLE TAXI DRIVER TEST
1. In which borough of New York City is Marble Hill located?
(a) Manhattan
(b) Bronx
(c) Brooklyn
(d) Queens
(e) Staten Island
2. In which borough of New York City is Rikers Island located?
(a) Manhattan
(b) Bronx
(c) Brooklyn
(d) Queens
(e) Staten Island
3. In which borough of New York City is Roosevelt Island located?
(a) Manhattan
(b) Bronx
(c) Brooklyn
(d) Queens
(e) Staten Island
4. Which of the following places is not located on an island:
(a) Prospect Park
(b) Jacob Riis Park
(c) Crotona Park
(d) La Tourette Park
(e) Marcus Garvey Park
5. Turtle Bay is:
(a) The neighborhood where the Waldorf Astoria Hotel is located.
(b) The body of water which is crossed by Congressman's Bridge
(c) A part of Jamaica Bay
(d) Near Coney Island
(e) South of Kips Bay
6. Bronx Kill is:
(a) An abusive sound made to insult a person
(b) A bad neighborhood where a taxi driver is not required to carry passengers after 8:00 PM
(c) What often happens to umpires at Yankee Stadium when they rule in favor of the opposing team
(d) A graveyard for old taxis
(e) A body of water north of Randall's Island
7. It is 2:00 AM and a passenger gets into your taxi at Kennedy Airport and tells you to take him to 125th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem. You are allowed to:
(a) Tell him to take another taxi if your insurance carrier will not allow you to take passengers to Harlem after 8:00 PM
(b) Charge him the meter fare only.
(c) Charge him a flat rate of $30
(d) Charge him 50 cents extra because it is after 8:00 PM
(e) By agreement, charge him $30 plus tip
8. A passenger gets in your taxi at Newark Airport and asks you to take him to Wall Street in Manhattan. You are allowed to:
(a) Charge him the meter fare only.
(b) Charge him the meter fare plus ten dollars
(c) Charge him a flat rate of $30
(d) Charge $2.00 for each piece of luggage you carry.
(e) None of the above
9. A passenger gets in your taxi at La Guardia Airport and asks you to take him to York Street in Manhattan. You:
(a) Are allowed to wait until your taxi is full and then charge them each the group rate of $3.50 per passenger.
(b) Charge a flat rate of $30.
(c) Charge the meter fare only.
(d) Charge the meter fare plus ten dollars
(e) Charge the meter fare plus ten dollars plus tip.
10. You pick up a passenger at the south end of Broadway at Battery Park. You passenger tells you that he wants you to take him all the way to the north end of Broadway. How much would a reasonable charge be for this trip?
(a) The meter fare, which will be approximately $18.00
(b) A flat rate of $30
(c) Because this involves a trip to Westchester County, the meter fare to the county line, plus double the meter fare beyond the county line.
(d) By agreement, about $50.
(e) By agreement, about one thousand eight hundred dollars plus tolls.
11. Throngs Neck Bridge crosses:
(a) Jamaica Bay
(b) Westchester Bay
(c) The East River
(d) The Harlem River
(e) Newtown Creek
12. The another name for the Willow Brook Parkway is:
(a) Malcolm X Boulevard
(b) Jackie Robinson Parkway
(c) Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Expressway
(d) H. Rap Brown Drive
(e) Master Fard Mohammed Parkway
13. Which of the following is false?
(a) Madison Square Park is located at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue
(b) Times Square is so named because there is a big clock on the tower.
(c) Wall Street is so named because there used to be a wall there to keep the Indians out.
(d) Manhattan College is not located in Manhattan.
(e) Long Island University is located on Long Island.
14. A taxi driver is:
(a) Allowed to smoke in the cab as long as he asks the passenger's permission and the passenger agrees.
(b) Not allowed to eat hot Indian curry while driving a taxi with a passenger inside.
(c) Allowed to refuse to carry a poisonous cobra in his taxi when a passenger is carrying the cobra and the cobra is contained in a secure box.
(d) Allowed to refuse to carry an old lady on crutches with a small bird in her hand.
(e) All of the above
15. You pick up a passenger at Kennedy Airport and the passenger asks you to take him to Wall Street in Manhattan. Just as you are proceeding up Adams Street in Brooklyn and are about to cross the Brooklyn Bridge, the passenger tells you that he has changed his mind and wants to get out here. You charge him:
(a) The meter fare.
(b) The meter fare plus ten dollars.
(c) A flat rate of $35.
(d) Approximately what the meter fare would have been had you been running the meter.
(e) There is no charge.
16. Houston is:
(a) Near Dallas
(b) Parallel with Kenmare Street.
(c) The street at the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge.
(d) Perpendicular to Lexington Avenue.
(e) Parallel with First Street.
17. You are driving west on 42nd Street. You pass Lexington Avenue. You will next cross:
(a) Third Avenue
(b) Park Avenue
(c) Madison Avenue
(d) Vanderbilt Avenue
(e) Fifth Avenue
18. The FDR Drive runs:
(a) East of the United Nations Building
(b) West of the United Nations Building
(c) Both of the above
(d) None of the above
(e) East of the East River
19. Tompkins Square Park is located:
(a) In Greenwich Village
(b) In Little Italy
(c) In China Town
(d) In the Lower East Side
(e) None of the above
20. Madison Avenue begins at:
(a) Houston Streeet
(b) Franklin Street
(c) 23rd Street
(d) 21st Street
(e) Battery Park
21. The largest number of New York City taxi drivers are:
(a) Native born Americans
(b) From Mexico
(c) From Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands
(d) From Pakistan and Bangladesh
(e) From the Philippines
22. The only two licensed taxi driving schools in New York City are both located:
(a) On 40th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan
(b) On Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn
(c) Next to the Green Point Savings Bank in Queens
(d) In Staten Island
(e) In Dutch Kills
23. An applicant to become a New York City taxi driver:
(a) Has the option to take the Hack License tests in either English or Spanish.
(b) Must be at least 18 years of age.
(c) Must have a New York State Driver's License.
(d) Must be of good moral character.
(e) All of the above.
24. Which of the following is false:
(a) The Brooklyn Queens Expressway is the highway you take from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Verrazano Bridge.
(b) Creedmor Hospital is located in Queens.
(c) Intrepid Museum is located a few blocks north of the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan.
(d) Washington Bridge connects Manhattan and the Bronx.
(e) Macombs Dam Bridge is the best and closest bridge to take from Yankee Stadium to Manhattan.
25. Which of the following is false:
(a) Chrystie Street is an extension of Second Avenue
(b) Central Park West is the same as Eighth Avenue
(c) Central Park East is the same as Fifth Avenue
(d) Columbus Avenue is the same as Ninth Avenue
(e) Great Jones is the same as Third Street
Sam Sloan
MasterCabbie Taxi Academy
Bridge Plaza Office Center
28-29 41st Avenue, 3rd Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 433-0493
1-888-284-4991
FAX (718) 433-0376
This is near the Queens Plaza station of the E, F, G and 7 trains.
However, Cesar Calderon, who I felt was a wonderful teacher, no longer teaches there. Instead, he teaches at Master Cabbie, which is next door.
Sam Sloan
The following is the answer key to the test of New York City streets posted at nystreet.htm :
Answers: (1) a (2) j (3) c (4) d (5) m (6) l (7) h (8) b (9) f (10) o (11) q (12) i (13) n (14) e (15) s (16) t (17) r (18) p (19) g (20) k