Over the past three decades we have seen most major Cities establish criteria and requirements that include minimum mandatory training for persons wishing to drive taxi cabs in the respective municipality.
In 1984 New York City initiated its first mandatory training program. Over the years the programs have evolved into an array of training programs and services for current and aspiring taxi drivers.
The eight hundred pound gorilla in the training and license world in New York City is The Master Cabbie Taxi Academy. taxi llandudno More people get the hack license through this organization than all the other providers in the City combined.
Driving a taxi seems to be a simple concept. Taking a passenger from point A to point B would'nt seem to present too many problems. However, problems do arise that require training which for some can extend far beyond the three day minimum, to twelve months and longer.
In an industry where more than ninety percent of the drivers use English as a second language the simple abc's take a little longer. So when it comes to the Taxi Driver Examination, a written test consisting of thirty English questions and fifty questions in taxi subjects the average applicant for a new York City Taxi Drivers License is as likely to fail the exam as pass it.
Much of the initial motivation for attending taxi school in New York City is mandatory, but the expansion of training is a market driven reality being addressed by the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy which offers all the City requirements as well as a number of open ended, part time programs, allowing people to work at their current jobs while preparing for the NYC Taxi Test at an agreeable pace.
We must also remember that the taxi school process is not all about passing the test. Drivers must have a reasonable hope of executing the tasks of the job. The most daunting of which is acquiring the knowledge of the city streets, highways and bridges as well as the long list of New York City landmarks.
On the first day as a taxi driver they must have at least a modicum of knowledge to go along with their high hopes of taking a passenger from the upper east side of Manhattan to the Grand Central Terminal or from Lincoln Center to JFK Airport.
In its shortest incarnation Taxi School in New York City can be as little as three days. More than half of the applicants at the Master Cabbie Taxi Academy spend more time than this. In the Master Cabbie Special Programs which offer unlimited training, people stay an average of seven weeks. The success rate of persons who follow program guide lines is approximately ninety percent. This is an unmatched statistic by all accounts. The placement rate of the graduates is one hundred percent.
For all the logical reasons leading to educating oneself the most compelling reason for New York City Taxi Drivers is the income potential. Median income for taxi drivers is approximately one thousand dollars per week. Of course time working and number of shifts worked come to bare on the statistics but some drivers make as much as five hundred per day while taxi medallion prices have surpassed six hundred thousand dollars.
When it comes to "how" to get a hack license in New York City and how much it costs? the bare bones minimum is approximately three hundred sixty dollars. ($360.) This would require the applicant to attend to his own applications and fee's as well as pass the taxi drivers test after a three day class.