2021 TLC Honor Roll Celebration

TLC 8th Annual Honor Roll Video - 2021


The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) launched its eighth annual Honor Roll with a digital celebration of TLC-Licensed Drivers and Bases’ excellence. The TLC recognized Drivers for accomplishments that included outstanding safety records, a strong commitment to providing service to passengers who use wheelchairs, efforts to help New Yorkers get vaccinated safely at home and going above and beyond to support electrification of the Taxi fleet.

As part of the TLC’s 50th anniversary year, TLC also recognized the service of the 20 most active TLC-Licensed Drivers who are women, honoring them with the first Gertrude Jeannette Achievement Award. The first female Taxi Driver in New York was Gertrude Jeannette, a groundbreaking figure in New York City history who overcame tremendous racial discrimination behind the wheel. Gertrude Jeannette was a Black woman who moved to New York from Arkansas and responded to an ad looking for women to replace male Taxi Drivers drafted into World War II. She became the first woman to obtain a Taxi License in New York City.

Today, there are approximately 8,120 TLC-Licensed Drivers who are women on the road today across all sectors. TLC’s 50th anniversary year was an important time for the agency to recognize their accomplishments here and now. The twenty women honored today hail from across the five boroughs and completed over two million trips during their careers.
The TLC also honored 12 of TLC’s eldest Licensees with a Lifetime Achievement Award. These Drivers, all in their eighties, have made critical contributions to New York City during their careers as professional Drivers, and the TLC celebrates their legacies today.
The ceremony’s virtual format helped the TLC recognize many Honorees safely, while giving our Licensees greater flexibility to participate in the time and space most convenient for them. The celebration included congratulatory messages from TLC’s government partners, including the Health Department, FDNY, the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, who chairs the Council Transportation Committee.

The almost 600 TLC-Licensed Drivers recognized for safety achievements in this year’s Honor Roll did not have any safety violations and were not involved in any serious collisions in the past three years while providing significant service to the public. Combined, these honorees completed more than 7.3 million trips between 2018 and 2021, underscoring their dedication to proving safe service to the riding public in New York City.

Twenty Accessible Dispatch Drivers were honored for providing a significant number of Accessible Dispatch citywide. They hailed from all five boroughs, with Brooklyn home for almost a third of Accessible Dispatch Honorees.

TLC also honored Drivers who worked collaboratively to save lives with the Home-bound Vaccination Program, as well as one of the first TLC-Licensed Drivers to receive the COVID-19 shot. The ceremony also recognized Taxi Drivers and Fleet Owners who contributed to electrifying the Taxi fleet by putting new Electric Taxis on the road in New York City.

Read the press release December 28, 2021 – TLC Recognizes Drivers and Bases (PDF)

Facts about 2021 Safety Honorees

  • TLC’s Safety Honorees included 499 For-Hire Vehicle, 99 Yellow Taxi, 42 Commuter Van, and 7 Green Taxi Drivers.
  • Queens was home to the highest number of Honorees, 179--followed by Brooklyn, 125, Manhattan, 29, and Staten Island, 12. Approximately 50 Honorees live outside of New York City.
  • 47 Bases were recognized for excellence in safety, including 27 Taxi Fleets and 20 For-Hire Vehicle services.
  • The Safety Honoree who completed the most trips provided service on approximately 38,500 rides between 2018 and 2021.

Facts about 2021 Accessibility Honorees

  • TLC honored 20 Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Drivers for their contributions to the Accessible Dispatch Program.
  • Six Honorees live in Brooklyn, followed by 5 Honorees in the Bronx, four in Queens, one in Staten Island, and three who live outside of New York City.

Facts about 2021 Repeat Honorees

  • 145 of 2021’s Driver Safety Honorees were repeat honorees, including 79 returning Honorees. 11 Honorees were all honored the past three years!