TLC letting for-hire drivers transition to yellow

Uber and other for-hire drivers can now become yellow cab drivers if their cars are less than two years old.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission said up to 400 drivers will be able to participate in a test program as long as their car is already used as a for-hire vehicle.

The city wants to help drivers transition between the cab and for-hire industries and “maximize their economic opportunities,” said to a TLC spokesperson.

Since 1996, only new cars can be used as yellow cabs. Drivers must also purchase or lease a medallion.

Average medallion prices cost about $872,000 last fall, according to the New York Times. Fleet owners charge up to $132 a shift for drivers to rent a medallion, according to New York World, a data journalism project out of the Columbia Journalism School.