TLC Licensee Leaders: Zishan Shahid
Licensee Leaders is the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission’s industry spotlight highlighting the stories and voices of the City’s dynamic community of licensees.
Meet Zishan Shahid, a Driver Education Instructor and TLC Licensee
Queens-born and raised Pakistani-American Zishan Shahid is a TLC licensee and instructor of TLC Driver Education at the Richmond Hill-based Knowledge Seekers. Teaching for just under a year, namely the 24-Hour course, Shahid talks on connecting through culture, the value of experience, and the importance of accessibility, diversity, and being heard.
TLC: Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background.
Zishan Shahid: My name is Zishan, last name Shahid. Culturally, I’m from Pakistan, but born and raised in Queens. I’ve been living here all my life. I was born in Elmhurst but have recently moved out here to the Richmond Hill-Jamaica area.
I’ve been in Queens my whole life. My father drove as a TLC licensee for, like, a million years. He’s been driving since the 1980s. He’s been driving for a while. And that is where my experience first comes from, my father.
TLC: What impression did you have growing up, with your father as a TLC Licensee?
ZS: Rough. It’s not an easy job. You know, you’re out there in the streets. It’s not easy dealing with all of the people always. But he made it work. And, you know, I feel blessed to be here. Happy. Satisfied.
My father drove as a TLC licensee for, like, a million years. He’s been driving since the 1980s. And that is where my experience first comes from, my father.
TLC: What did you learn from your father that you’ve been able to apply as an instructor of TLC Driver Education?
ZS: The most valuable thing I’ve learned from him has been interaction with people, social skills, because he’s a very humble and kind person and taught me how to be like that. That’s the most important tactic I’ve learned from him — understanding people and how to communicate.
TLC: That goes a long way.
ZS: Yes, people skills.
TLC: Share with us the unique responsibilities you have as an instructor.
ZS: I feel like my responsibility is to teach the drivers about the industry overall. For example, how much money they can possibly make and what types of laws are out there that they should definitely not be breaking. Especially the severest laws. And yeah, pretty much to get them ready for being out there.
My goal is to give them a brief summary of what I’ve experienced, what I have seen in the industry. Basically, how to protect themselves and make as much money as possible in the safest way possible.
TLC: How do you feel your guidance is received, also being a TLC licensee and speaking from experience?
ZS: Yes, that definitely plays a good part. I feel like my words have more value [chuckles] because I have experience. For example, we do have about two instructors over here who don’t have experience as TLC licensees. And you can tell, there’s just a different feeling in the class. People engage more, they understand more. It’s definitely better having experience.
The most pleasant thing is when students leave here happy. When they shake my hand and say, “It was a great class, thank you so much. We really enjoyed the class.”
TLC: In what ways do you feel they engage more?
ZS: You know, you give them real-life scenarios and that’s what really can get their attention. So, for example, I would tell them about a time I got a ticket or about something happening with a customer. And that gets their attention because it’s not in the book, it’s not something we’re just reading. It’s something that actually happened. So, I feel like that is what really engages them, interactions that I’ve had.
TLC: What is a most-shared interaction?
ZS: My most common stories would be about how I drove a yellow cab and it wasn’t an easy job. You know, people are kind of aggressive in Manhattan. I think that’s one of the funniest things, driving in Manhattan and engaging with people all over the city.
TLC: So, what led you to being an instructor at Knowledge Seekers?
ZS: If I’m completely honest, it was mostly because of the income. The job I was doing earlier wasn’t paying enough. I was doing a lot of work for not enough money. So, the most important thing was income. The next thing would be that it’s close to my house. And lastly, I had experience in the past as a driver. All of these things just kind of added up and came together. History from my father and when I drove myself for about two and a half years.
TLC: That’s wonderful.
ZS: One of the other things is probably my age. Most of the other instructors here are more higher-aged. Students might look at a young guy and feel more comfortable, like they can talk a bit more openly. I guess that’s one more thing that the students really appreciate.
TLC: Have there been any pleasant surprises about what you do?
ZS: If you’re talking about pleasant, I mean, I am a people-person. I guess the most pleasant thing is when students leave here happy. When they shake my hand and say, “It was a great class, thank you so much. We really enjoyed the class.” I would not call it a surprise, but I’d say that it’s the most pleasant thing that happens in this job — that the people actually appreciate what I do.
TLC: With students who might also bring years of experience to the table, like the Renewal course, is there a way you might set a tone for the class?
ZS: I tell them, “For every one of you, there’s at least one thing you will learn, that will be new, that you’ve never learned before.” And that kind of grabs their attention. Because some might feel like they’ve learned everything already. And by the end of the class, even they end up saying, like, “Oh yeah, it was a great class. We learned.”
TLC: Would you say your style includes inviting drivers to the idea of learning something new?
ZS: Yes, guaranteed. Definitely. I tell them, “You will learn something new, but your experience is where it is. I’m not undermining whatever your experience is. If you’ve been driving since the 80s, the 90s…” I was born in 1995, you know [laughs]. Some people have been driving since before I was born! I tell them, “Your experience is something I respect, but there is something that I am here for too. There’ll be definitely something that I’ll teach you that you don’t really know.”
TLC: It is nice to learn about your approach.
ZS: Yes, it seems to be working.
TLC: How do you ensure your students understand the many topics of a course such as the 24-hour?
ZS: I make jokes and try to make it entertaining. I’ll crack a joke here and there, you know, pretty much keep the mood light to grab their attention. I try not to be too strict. At the same time, it’s not a time for entertainment, but we want to keep everyone awake and actually listening to what’s going on. Reading the rules back-to-back, people are just dozing off. So, I try to explain the rules more and put them into a real-life scenario.
Another thing, the best thing for me, is that I speak multiple languages. I speak Punjabi, and I speak Hindi… And the majority of students that come into this location, they’re actually from Pakistan and India, so they speak my language. And that is a great tool. I’ll engage them in Punjabi. For example, if I look at them and they’re lost on something, I’ll also ask them in my own language. So that is actually another great tool, having multiple languages.
TLC: What’s their response initially when you engage them or respond in Punjabi or Hindi?
ZS: They’re surprised. They don’t assume that I speak any other language. I don’t know what they think — they probably think that I’m from some other place. Maybe they can’t tell that I’m Paki or anything else. But when I speak, they are shocked for like five seconds. And then it gets normal from there on. And then they get even more comfortable with me.
TLC: Anything else you do to help students retain their Driver Education?
ZS: I guess I try to make certain things repetitive. I’ll speak a topic throughout the day and come back to it. I repeat the most important things I want to get across.
TLC: What’s a violation from the rules that comes up often?
ZS: Sharing your license. That is something that I feel like might be common in certain areas. Maybe some drivers don’t understand the significance of giving your license to somebody else. So, I feel like I really push that too — you know, like, “Don’t give your license to anybody.” That is one of the worst things you can do, to share your credentials and license.
The majority of students that come into this location, they’re actually from Pakistan and India, so they speak my language. And that is a great tool.
TLC: Have other instructors at Knowledge Seekers given you guidance about teaching Driver Education?
ZS: It’s only been eight months. When I started working here, [the school] went through with me the curriculum, what I would be teaching… So, they presented to me, and I presented back to them. Those are the tips I received from them, what to teach and how to teach it basically.
TLC: What was that like, presenting back to the school early on?
ZS: How it starts is that you come into class, just like a student. You take two 24-hour classes, so 48 hours of class. And then from there, you have to present. So, whatever you learned from the class, now you have to be able to relay it back to the class. That’s how he tests.
On the first demo that I had, I did terribly, because I did kind of underestimate it. I thought it might have been much easier, also standing in front of the class. You have to know everything. They are throwing questions at you, and you have to know what you’re talking about. So, I went back, and spoke to the instructor who actually trained me. His name is Shahid. Great guy. And I was just asking him for tips — what are the most important topics, how you transition from one topic to another…
TLC: What did he teach you about switching between topics?
ZS: He basically just showed me his style. You know, there’s a whole curriculum that has to be taught. And not everyone goes point by point. People might mix up topics — like this topic comes first, then another second. So, that’s what he basically told me, to “adapt to your own style.” That, as long as you are getting all of the messages across, it doesn’t matter the sequence, so to speak, but just to get through everything that you have to. I guess he really helped me with opening my mind, because I was really focused on “What’s point number one and point number two?” And he really taught me to not worry about the one, two, three part so much — rather to get the message across and to do it in your own style.
You go to work at night, in the morning, whenever you want to go to work. That’s probably the best about being a TLC licensee — flexibility.
TLC: Would you say you’ve developed your own style now, eight months in?
ZS: Definitely, definitely. Much better than I was before.
[Knowledge Seeker’s Md Neamul Alam enters the room to check in on us.]
ZS: These guys are great. It’s like a family in here. We take care of each other.
That is another reason… When you’re working with not such great co-workers, it’s like, “Why am I even here?” Like my old job. I was working at JFK airport before I came over here. I had nobody to talk to over there.
TLC: What did you do previously at JFK, if you want to share?
ZS: I was in cargo control, so loading and unloading aircraft, baggage control, baggage handling, all of that stuff.
TLC: That is quite a shift to now be presenting to a class of students.
ZS: Exactly. It is really different. And as far as presenting, I actually took a couple of speech classes in college. Those really helped me out. Presenting is not easy but those classes went a long way.
TLC: What were your first few classes like teaching at Knowledge Seekers?
ZS: They were stressful! [Laughs.]
TLC: How many classes did it take until you felt were comfortable and could speak confidently?
ZS: Maybe around five classes, five sessions. Three days, three days, three days times five, basically. It took me a while. Because there is a lot of knowledge — a lot you have to know off the top of your head. And so, to get comfortable, you have to know everything. I’m at a much better place than I was before. Yeah, so, about a month it took me to really get calm.
One of the biggest changes I’ve observed is diversity. There’s much more diversity … in TLC Enforcement, the TLC Officers, in the TLC office. I feel there’s a lot more diversity than there was back in the day.
TLC: What would you say is most fulfilling about this work on a personal level?
ZS: There are a lot of things. The first would be the person-to-person and people interaction. I’m a people person, a social person. I love going out and talking to people, meeting people, so, that is probably my favorite thing. At every other job, you kind of see the same people every day. Over here, I’m always meeting new people, learning new things, about different cultures. I feel like that’s the best thing — the diversity and the constant change of flow and people.
Other than that, I would say that I love to share my knowledge with people. Some people will not share what they know. They might be scared, about spreading knowledge, and letting people know the ins and outs and techniques that you can apply. I love to share my experience. And show people techniques, like, when there is an easier way to do something. Like, a new person who is learning about TLC and doesn’t know anything about TLC should know, for example, how to fight their case or a ticket, to learn how to protect their license. I feel like it’s important to know the inside scoop, the inside details. For example, when you get a ticket, you have multiple options. You can pay it, or you can fight it, you can settle the ticket. There are a lot of things you can do.
TLC: In the industry overall, what larger changes have you observed over time?
ZS: One of the biggest changes I’ve observed is diversity. There’s much more diversity, for example, in TLC Enforcement, in the TLC Officers, even in the TLC office — I feel there’s a lot more diversity than there was back in the day.
One more thing that I feel has changed is the way that tickets are handled. Drivers were dealing with more problems back in the day and it was much more difficult to pull themselves out of tickets and suspensions. And now, I feel like, they have more options. Especially with OATH. I feel like they have changed the system and that drivers are now being heard. Back in the day, they were not being heard.
I feel like it’s getting more better now — much more diversity and the drivers are being heard.
TLC: What value do you feel is added by WAVs to the industry?
ZS: It is adding all of the value that there could be. For the disabled community, there are more options than before. Especially with Accessible Dispatch, Access-A-Ride, etc. These services are amazing. For the customer and the driver too. For example, Accessible Dispatch will pay you to do pick-ups and drive a WAV. It’s a win-win situation on all sides. No matter how you look at it, it’s amazing.
TLC: What feedback have you heard from licensees on programs like this?
ZS: People wake up as soon as they hear about incentives, bonuses, the Taxi Improvement Fund (TIF)… When they hear about money, that really opens their eyes. And then they might start to plan, “Well, how much does a WAV cost? What kind of car can I get?
For the disabled community, there are more options than before. These services are amazing. For the customer and the driver too … Accessible Dispatch will pay you to do pick-ups and drive a WAV. It’s a win-win situation.
TLC: How do you usually review class subjects?
ZS: I will usually give them the quiz. And we will go over it on a whole-class basis. When someone has a question, they’ll tend to raise their hand and then we’ll go over it as a whole class. I tell them, “Whoever knows the answer, just raise your hand.” And if someone gives the wrong answer, then we’ll talk about why it’s the wrong answer.
TLC: Is there a way you choose to address individual questions?
ZS: If a student has a question or wants to understand a certain point, I’ll go up to them and explain it to them however I can. If I speak their language, then I’ll engage them in their language. If not, then I’ll try to show them visual cues. If they still don’t understand, I might include someone else — for example, maybe they have a friend sitting next to them or if there is someone else in the class that speaks the same language. So, yeah, if they have personal questions, definitely I address those. Otherwise, I engage the class as a whole. I try not to pick on people, because I feel like they can get nervous and then don’t engage anymore. I try to get them to engage on their own.
TLC: You mentioned visual cues. What are some resources you feel are most helpful?
ZS: I go on Google right away. If they’re not understanding something or if I have to show them something about the meter, or serial numbers — I know if I just say it to them, they might think, “What is he talking about?” So, then I’ll just go on the computer, pull up the meter and show them exactly what I am talking about — “This is the serial number.” “This is the actual meter.” So, I use the computer, diagrams, maps… Everything that I have I try to use it to show them exactly what I am talking about. Whatever they don’t understand, you can show it to them.
TLC: What are some of the most common questions?
ZS: There might be income-related questions. So, I make it a point to compare among the yellow cab, green cab, black car service, for-hire vehicle service… And that tends to lead to the next question, which is, “Where can I make more money?” And so, I might explain how yellow cab is making the most amount of money if you look at it by miles per minute. And so, they might ask, “Well, what is the cost to get a yellow cab? What is the rent?” It’s basically a lot of real-life questions. And I’ll them everything I know. Like, “OK, you can go to this fleet, you can pick up a yellow cab today for a 12-hour shift, you just pay them a deposit, and they’ll give you the car.” Everything I tell them is something I’ve been through — not something that I heard. I actually went out there and picked up a yellow cab. That is definitely a plus.
TLC: Do you have any memorable students from over the past eight months?
ZS: Yeah, definitely I have memorable students. I actually have two or three students that I actually have on social media. So, like Instagram, Facebook, I have a couple of students that added me over there. And yeah, sometimes they come by. There’s a medical clinic next door and they might have medical appointments there and stop by, bring me coffee or water and stuff. It’s amazing. I’ll go downstairs to Dunkin’ and if the students are sitting over there, they will try to pay for my coffee. Students are great.
This one student sent me a text. He had received a U-turn ticket and so he was asking me what he should do about it. So, I just told him, you know, pay it, [plead] guilty or not guilty… I pretty much just gave him his options. Students might text me like, “I haven’t received my license yet.” [Laughs]. They feel comfortable. And I want to be there for them. I think, why not.
TLC: In what way might the topic of driver-passenger interaction come up in class?
ZS: I tell them to try to engage with passengers if they want to engage with you. I say, “If you don’t know what to say, then just don’t say anything. Keep your eyes on the road, stay focused on the road. Your job is to pick them up and drop them off. Don’t try to get personal with them or engage too much.” I tell them, “Only if the customer is asking you questions and talking to you, that is the only time you should be engaging with the customer.” You know, if the customer is quiet, just stay quiet and do your job the right way. Just do your job, stay safe. Just keep your boundaries, keep your limits. Everyone has their own mentality, or things going on in their life. I just try to suggest that if the customer is engaging with you, only then should you engage with the customer. If they’re not, then just leave it the way it is. Respect boundaries. Stay safe.
Everything I tell them is something I’ve been through — not something that I heard. I actually went out there and picked up a yellow cab.
TLC: Outside of Driver Education, in your opinion, what does it take to enter the Taxi/FHV industry?
ZS: Definitely some driver experience. I feel like a lot of students who come in here have just got their [DMV] driver’s license. So, for them, I am really nervous for them. You’re talking about TLC, and they don’t even have [regular] driving experience — which is the number one thing that you have to have before you can stand driving for hire, so to speak. So, besides the classes, I feel like driving experience is really the number one thing you need out there. Because, you know, New York City is not an easy place to drive. Especially if you’re in Manhattan. It’s very rough, very aggressive driving. If you don’t know what you’re doing… It’s not an easy job. Driving experience, I would say, is probably the number one thing.
TLC: Is there a way you encourage students to develop experience driving?
ZS: So, yeah, the number one suggestion that I give them is to go to Manhattan — you know, take your family, your friends — and just drive around Manhattan to get a little bit of a feeling about how it is. I tell them to go down 5th Avenue, go up 3rd Avenue, check out how it is. So then when you’re actually working all of that pressure is not on your mind, so you’re not in Manhattan for the first time. So, I tell them to get some experience, you know, to go out there, have some fun, before you actually start working for money. Because when you have a customer in the back, there’s obviously a level of stress and pressure that you have on you that you have to drive the right way. You make a mistake and you’re looked upon a certain way. You know, the customer is paying you for the ride, so they don’t want you to be making mistakes in the first place. So, yeah, I tell them to try and get some experience.
TLC: It’s interesting you suggest that, because you do drive differently when you have family or friends in the car.
ZS: Exactly. When you have people in the car, it’s like a real-life scenario. It’s like you have customers in the car. You can talk to them. And a lot of people, they cannot talk and drive at the same time. They have to focus. And you know, you learn these things about yourself, while you do it. So, yeah, exactly. Take someone with you.
TLC: Any advice for drivers on how to manage safe driving with cell phone usage, such as for accepting a trip on an app?
ZS: Definitely. That’s some people’s biggest concern — like, “Oh, we can’t talk on the phone? Not even one headphone?” And I’m like, “No, not even one headphone.”
For my Renewal class, I had this one student who was a bus driver for the MTA. He told me that, while at the MTA, when they’re training you that you’re not even allowed to wear a smart watch while you’re operating an MTA bus. So, I really grab that. I say, “While you’re talking about a headphone, these [MTA bus employees] cannot even wear a smart watch while they are operating a bus. So, there’s not really much to complain about over here.” And I explain how as a bus driver, they can’t wear the smart watch because they have the lives of so many in the bus. And then I tell them, as a TLC [licensee], “What’s the difference? You’re carrying people, passengers. You’re on the road. You shouldn’t be talking to other people on the phone but doing your job.”
And then they are like, “Oh, well, how are we supposed to pick up jobs, accept jobs?” And then I tell them how they are allowed to use the phone as a one-touch while not driving, or voice-operated. “If you’re doing one touch, and if you’re driving for Uber, what are you really doing? You accept the job in one touch.” And then they settle down a little bit. I try to give them other experiences and then compare it to [being a] TLC [licensee]. “Oh, look at MTA. Look at DOT. Look at truck drivers,” “And then look at yourself, you’re not really too different from some of these.” Like I said, some of the students have no experience driving. And so, they might not know what is going on in the MTA, or with these truck drivers, so I show them, that these people have a lot of restrictions and it’s not just you.
The more skilled you are in understanding New Yorkers, engaging with them, and handling their needs, the better customer service you will provide. Knowing people and knowing how to stay calm in situations really helps. Know your customer!
TLC: What do you think the future of the Taxi/FHV industry looks like?
ZS: Hmm… I don’t know. I feel it is well-expanded already. It’s everywhere. I feel we will just expand even more. You know, have even more electric vehicles on the road, make it more economically and environmentally friendly. I feel we are where we should be. And service-wise, New York City is being served pretty well. We’re good where we are. Just make it a little bit more accessible with the WAVs.
TLC: Speaking of service, what are crucial skills to provide excellent customer service?
ZS: I feel like in different neighborhoods you have different types of people with different mindsets, personalities, and attitudes. So, the more skilled you are in understanding New Yorkers, engaging with them, and handling their needs, the better customer service you will provide. Knowing people and knowing how to stay calm in situations really helps. Know your customer!
TLC: Anything you would like to remind former students of yours?
ZS: I would probably tell that speed is the number one cause of traffic-related deaths. And I’ve seen a lot of these young drivers out there who are really aggressive. And so, I would tell them, you know, “There’s no rush. There’s no fire to put out. Just slow down.” That’s probably the number one thing.
TLC: What’s the best thing about being a TLC taxi or FHV driver?
ZS: Flexibility. So, like, as a teacher over here, I don’t have much flexibility. I’m here for eight hours. So, if I have an emergency at home, there’s not much I could do in that situation. Whereas as a TLC licensee, there’s flexibility. You have to take care of something today? No one is telling you to come to work. You want to take care of your business? You go to work at night, in the morning, whenever you want to go to work. That’s probably the best about being a TLC licensee, flexibility.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
