The hack license is a special license you need to get when you want to drive a yellow taxicab in New York City. This can be a valuable asset for someone who needs steady work when he or she lives in or near the city.
So what if you wonder how to get a hack license NYC and want to lease a yellow cab by the shift or by the week? You'll need to go through a bit of paperwork, get some necessary training and then study so that you can learn the various landmarks, highways, bridges and routes of New York City. If you can do this, then you will be eligible to get the taxi license.
Once you have this taxi license, get ready to go to work. It's likely that you'll work long hours, up to 12 hours per shift. Many taxi drivers bring in upwards of $400 for the twelve hours which nets them $225 to $250 a shift.
What is a hack anyway and why is the license referred to as a hack license? Of course, this term has been used in a variety of ways, including calling someone a hack writer, a political hack or a computer hacker. One definition describes a hack as an animal or person that is made to work hard. Therefore, you can say that if you are going to be a hack at something, that means you're willing to work hard at whatever you are doing.
However, it's not actually known where the term hack license comes from. Perhaps its use came from a borough in London called Hackney. And by the way, the motorized hackney cabs used in the United Kingdom are black, unlike their yellow US counterparts.
Or, perhaps it came from a breed of horse known for its gait. This was one of the animals utilized behind a carriage described by author Charles Dickens when he was interviewed in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps its origin came from the French word "haquenee" which traditionally was a horse that ladies could ride. Because their gait was such that they used the right front and rear and left front and rear legs together, instead of opposing front and rear as was usual for a trot, it was more comfortable and less jarring than a regular trot for ladies riding sidesaddle.
With a tradition dating back to the 1930 's, medallions and the New York City taxi license are one of the landmark enterprises in the city. In the last decade, over 1,000 new medallions have been sold at auction by the city. If you own this license, you can buy your own yellow cab, but it will cost you. In one case recently, a medallion sold for more than $600,000. This is in contrast to 2001 when you could buy one for less than $200,000. Those who had the foresight to acquire one or more of the medallions are either driving their own taxis now or have sold them at a profit to current taxi owners.
As far as New York goes, the hack license issued by the Taxi and Limousine Commission is simply what you will need to get if you want to drive a taxi cab. Having it can be valuable if you wish to be a driver of one of New York City's famous yellow cabs.
If you have this hack license, you are the only type of taxi driver that can pick up unscheduled fares called hails on the streets of New York City. In addition, during the first eight hours of your shift, you will take passengers to the adjoining counties of Westchester and Nassau and to the airport in Newark, New Jersey.
