A car pulls up. Is it the one you booked, and is the person driving it allowed to be? In every city on this page there is a specific, physical check that takes about five seconds, and a phone number or a database that will confirm it in about a minute.
Operators rarely publish this, for the obvious reason that they would rather you booked than checked. The regulators do publish it, but each holds only their own third of it. Here it is in one place for London, New York and Los Angeles. Checked August 2026.
The five-second version
| City | Look for this on the vehicle | Verify it here |
|---|---|---|
| London — black cab | White licence plate on the rear; driver wears a green or yellow badge | TfL licence checker |
| London — minicab | Licence discs on the front and rear windscreens; driver wears photo ID | Your booking confirmation must already show the registration, driver’s first name, licence number and photo |
| New York — yellow or green cab | Medallion number, and the driver’s TLC licence displayed inside the vehicle | TLC licence lookup; complaints via 311 |
| Los Angeles — limo, town car, chauffeur | TCP number displayed on the vehicle | CPUC Transportation Carrier Portal, or call 1-800-649-7570 |
| Los Angeles — taxi | City of LA rate card displayed in the cab | LADOT via 311 |
London
The dividing line is simple and it is the whole basis of the system: a black cab can be hailed, a minicab cannot. A private hire vehicle must be pre-booked through a TfL-licensed operator. It may not use a taxi rank and it may not pick you up because you waved at it.
A driver who approaches you offering a ride you did not book is touting, which is a criminal offence under section 167 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. TfL will normally revoke a licence on conviction. TfL’s own wording on why this matters is blunt: unbooked minicabs are illegal, not insured to carry passengers, and pose a serious risk to their passengers.
For a black cab: a white licence plate on the rear showing the licence number, expiry date, registration and passenger capacity. The driver wears a green badge (all London) or yellow (suburban), which is proof they passed the Knowledge.
For a minicab, the check is better than a visual one, because the operator has to hand you the answer in advance. Before your journey starts, the operator must send a booking confirmation containing:
- the vehicle registration mark
- the driver’s first name
- the driver’s private hire licence number
- the driver’s photograph
If the car outside does not match all four, it is not your booking. The vehicle should also display licence discs on the front and rear windscreens, and the driver should be wearing photo ID showing their name and licence number.
TfL runs public licence searches for drivers, vehicles and operators through its Taxi and Private Hire portal, so any licence number can be checked directly rather than taken on trust.
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Booking in advance removes the problem entirely: you get the vehicle and driver details before you travel, and nobody has to approach you at arrivals.
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New York
Only yellow taxis and green boro taxis may be hailed in the street, and green cabs only above East 96th and West 110th Streets and in the outer boroughs. Black cars, liveries, luxury limousines and app services are prearranged only. Any of them approaching you on the street is not operating legally.
Your driver’s TLC licence must be displayed inside the vehicle. You have the right to it — it is in the Passenger Bill of Rights.
The identifier to record is the medallion number, the four-character code unique to that cab. Take the receipt as well: it is required to carry the medallion number, the driver’s hack licence number, the date, time, full fare breakdown and the 311 complaint number. That is everything a complaint needs, printed for you.
At the airports there is one rule above all others. The Port Authority states that soliciting ground transportation is illegal and that many of the people doing it are unlicensed and uninsured. Nobody legitimate will find you inside the terminal. Walk to the official stand.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a split that catches people out: taxis are regulated by the City, but limousines and chauffeured cars are regulated by the State. LADOT handles taxis inside the City of LA. Chauffeured limousines and charter vehicles are licensed by the California Public Utilities Commission under a permit called a TCP.
This is the most checkable of the three cities, because the CPUC publishes a verification route and asks you to use it. Their recommended sequence:
- Look for the TCP number displayed on the vehicle. It is required to be there.
- Verify it through the CPUC Transportation Carrier Portal, or by calling 1-800-649-7570.
- Confirm the liability insurance with the CPUC rather than taking the operator’s word for it.
- Get written terms covering the cost, the deposit, the refund policy, and the pickup and drop-off times and locations.
- Keep the receipts.
At LAX specifically, a TCP driver must hold a valid trip ticket before entering the Central Terminal Area to collect anyone. A limo driver who cannot produce one is not supposed to be there.
Rideshare is a third category again — the CPUC calls them Transportation Network Companies. Two facts worth carrying: TNC drivers are strictly prohibited from accepting street hails, so anyone offering you a ride in person is not doing it legally; and while you are in the vehicle the company must carry $1,000,000 in liability cover.
Only three rideshare companies are authorised to pick up at LAX at all: Uber, Lyft and Prime Time Rideshare (Opoli). Others may drop off on the upper level but are prohibited from collecting you.
Where to complain, by city
| City and service | Who to contact | What they need |
|---|---|---|
| London, minicab | The operator first, then TfL — form, or 0343 222 4000 | Driver licence number or vehicle registration. A screenshot of the booking confirmation covers it |
| London, black cab | TfL | Same |
| London, touting or an illegal cab | TfL’s touting report | Nature of the offence, date, time, location, registration or licence number, crime reference if reported |
| New York, any TLC-licensed vehicle | 311, or the TLC on (212) 639-9675 from outside NYC | Medallion number, or the receipt |
| Los Angeles, taxi | 311, or LADOT on (213) 473-3231 | Cab company and vehicle number |
| Los Angeles, limo or rideshare | CPUC complaint form, or 1-800-649-7570 | TCP number. Allow 30 business days |
| Anything on LAX property | LAWA, or the LAX Helpline on (855) 463-5252 | Location and operator |
Two things worth knowing before you file. In New York, the TLC will not take action against a driver unless you agree to take part in a hearing — decline and the complaint is recorded but goes nowhere. You can testify by phone. Equipment complaints are the exception and need no hearing.
And in London, if there is danger to life, violence or a crime, that is 999 and the police, not a licensing complaint.
The one habit worth having
Before you get in, photograph the plate. In London that is the rear licence plate or the windscreen disc; in New York the medallion number; in Los Angeles the TCP number. It takes two seconds, and every complaints process on this page starts by asking you for exactly that.
If the car simply never arrives, that is a different problem — see what to do when your airport transfer does not turn up. For fares in each city: London, New York, Los Angeles.
Sources
London requirements are from Transport for London’s published guidance, its private hire abstract of laws and the London taxi driver handbook. New York requirements are from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, its Passenger Bill of Rights and rule book, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Los Angeles requirements are from the California Public Utilities Commission, LADOT and Los Angeles World Airports. Last verified August 2026.
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