Surveys were completed by 4,396 new applicants for a hack license enrolled in the New York Taxi Drivers Institute, a 20-hr program mandated to start in July 1984 for all incoming taxi drivers in New York City. In this sample population, 74 percent of the students were born in 82 countries other than the United States, and 72 languages other than English were spoken. The majority of the students were in their mid-thirties, were relatively well educated, and planned to work for fleet operations full time after receiving their license. Focus groups held at both training sites before and after the program revealed three major concerns: personal security, the negative image of the industry, and the lack of an advocate for drivers, who are subject to unreasonable demands by the public, the regulatory agency, and the media. The majority of the students gave the program a positive rating and all agreed that the teachers, former drivers or current industry staff, were excellent. Fleet managers attending a focus group identified two changes that had had major consequences for the industry--the shift from salary by commission to leasing and the changed characteristics of the work force. Both drivers and management identified the poor image of the industry as a major problem. The establishment of a taxi school helped prepare new applicants, a majority of whom were not native-born Americans, to deal with the demands of taxi driving in New York City.