§ 67-10 Requirements for Hack-up – Partitions.
RCNY § 67-10
(a)Requirement.
(1)The vehicle must be equipped with a partition that isolates the driver from the rear seat passengers or all passengers of the vehicle unless the vehicle is exempt from the partition requirement pursuant to 35 RCNY § 58-35(b).
(2)The purpose of the partition is to provide protection to the driver while ensuring passenger safety and enabling rear seat passengers to enjoy a clear and unobstructed view of the TLC Drives License, Rate Card, and front windshield.
(b)Technical Specifications.
(i)For a flat partition and a partition for a Taxicab with factory installed curtain airbags, the transparent portion must extend from the ceiling to join or overlap with the protective plate of the partition.
(ii)For an L shaped partition, on the side that is behind the driver, the transparent portion of the partition must extend from the ceiling to join or overlap with the protective plate of the partition. On the side that extends forward to back between the two front seats, the transparent portion of the partition must extend from the ceiling to join or overlap with the protective plate of the partition on the right side of the center console located between the two front seats.
(3)The protective plate must join or overlap with the transparent portion of the partition and extend downward to the floor of the vehicle. The protective plate must be a plate of 0.085-inch thick bullet-resistant ballistic steel or its equivalent if approved by the Deputy Commissioner for Safety and Emissions. The protective plate must be installed inside and covering the front seat's entire backrest.
(iii)For an L shaped partition, the protective plate must also cover the right side of the center console between the two front seats.
(4)The entire protective plate of each partition must have sufficient padding to prevent injury to any rear-seat passenger in case of a Collision or sudden stopping, and all surfaces must be free of sharp and rough edges.
(5)There must be no opening or gap between the partition and the body of the vehicle larger than one inch, except for vehicles equipped with factory installed curtain airbags. In those vehicles, the partition shall allow a space of six inches on each side, sufficient to permit proper deployment of the curtain airbags unless the partition is specifically designed by the vehicle manufacturer to not interfere with the deployment of side curtain airbags.
(6)In addition to meeting all other technical specifications, a partition may be installed only if it does not impair passenger and driver safety and has the following features: (i) Allows passengers and drivers to communicate with each other (ii) Allows passengers in the rear passenger compartment to pay fares by cash or by credit card (if the Taxicab is capable of accepting credit card payments) and to receive receipts for payments and transactions. (Amended City Record 4/28/2016, eff. 5/28/2016; amended City Record 9/22/2016, eff. 10/22/2016; amended City Record 2/12/2020, eff. 3/13/2020)
