Service Animals & Accessibility Rules for TLC Drivers

In short: every TLC driver must carry passengers with disabilities, their service animals, and their wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility aids, with no extra charge and no attendant required. Breaking these rules is treated like a refusal or an overcharge, with mandatory penalties that end in revocation. Drivers of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) have extra duties on top: helping passengers in and out, securing the wheelchair correctly, handling packages and helping with payment.

This guide turns the rules in TLC chapter 80 into a trip-by-trip list. It is general information, not legal advice.

Duties for every TLC driver

These apply in yellow taxis, green cabs and FHVs, whether or not the vehicle is accessible.

• Take the passenger and the service animal. Rule 80-20(a)(1) says a driver must not refuse "a person with a disability and any service animal accompanying this individual" to any destination in NYC, Westchester, Nassau or Newark Airport.
• Take the mobility aid. Rule 80-20(a)(3): do not refuse a passenger's wheelchair, crutches or other mobility aid. Rule 80-20(b)(3) lets you refuse items you reasonably believe will damage the car, but the rule says this "does NOT include wheelchairs, crutches, a service animal or other mobility aid."
• No attendant requirement. Rule 80-20(a)(2): you must not require a person with a disability to bring an attendant, and rule 80-17(a)(4) bans charging for one who comes along.
• No extra charge. Rule 80-17(a)(3) bans any added charge for the passenger, the service animal or the mobility aid. Taxi rule 58-26(d) adds that there is no charge for mobility aids carried inside the cab or for using the trunk.
• Front seat. A passenger who cannot ride in the back must be allowed in front, and so must a passenger whose wheelchair or other aid is taking up the rear seats (rule 80-15(f), $75).
• Load and unload. On request, load the wheelchair, crutches or other property into the car or trunk and close it securely (rule 80-16(c), $50).
• Never interfere with the animal. Rule 80-12(e) bans distracting a service animal, and rule 80-12(g) bans distracting, harming or using force against one ($500 to $1,500 and/or a 5 to 60 day suspension, 4 points).
• Disability-related behavior. You may refuse a disorderly or intoxicated passenger, but the rule warns you must not refuse "solely because of behavior caused by a person's disability" (80-20(b)(9)).

TLC's definitions chapter defines a Service Animal as "an animal that performs a task or specific set of tasks to assist a person with a disability" (chapter 51). The TLC rules do not list a document the passenger must show, so do not demand paperwork as a condition of the ride.

Extra duties in a wheelchair accessible vehicle

Rule 80-20(a)(6) adds duties while you operate an accessible vehicle. Use this as a shift checklist:

Penalties at a glance

The deferred suspension for securement and package violations is a real second chance: it is avoided only if you finish the Vision Zero and Accessibility Remedial course within 60 days. Put the deadline in your calendar the day you plead or are found guilty.

How many accessible vehicles are on the road

For yellow and green taxis, TLC's old Accessible Dispatch program has been replaced. TLC's Accessible Dispatch page says "Accessible Dispatch is now Accessible Taxi E-hail" and that the previous provider's last day of service was February 28, 2026. If you drive a WAV taxi, accessible trip requests now reach you through e-hail, and rule 80-20(a)(6) still applies once you accept one.

Training

Rule 80-04 says applicants for a new or renewal TLC Driver License must complete the Passenger Assistance and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Training as a condition of licensure. That means every licensed driver has taken it, not only WAV drivers. TLC's live application tracker lists "WAV training course" among the items many incomplete applications are still missing. See WAV training for TLC drivers and our page for WAV drivers. Rule 80-20(a)(6)(iv)(B) ties securement to "an approved TLC Education Provider training course," so the method you were taught is the standard you will be held to.

Common situations

• "I'm allergic to dogs." The refusal reasons in rule 80-20(b) do not include allergies, and the animal reason expressly excludes service animals. If this affects you, ask a lawyer or TLC before it comes up on a trip, not at the curb.
• "The chair won't fit in my trunk." The rules require you to carry mobility aids and to load them on request, and the damage exception never covers them. The rules do not spell out what happens when a device physically cannot fit a non-accessible car, so do not decide that at the curb by driving off. Try every reasonable way to load it, keep a record, and if you work through an app, use its accessible-ride process. Ask a lawyer if a summons follows.
• Pet or service animal? The rule lets you refuse an animal "not properly secured in a suitable container", but that never applies to service animals. When in doubt, take the trip.
• Companion asks to ride for free. You may not charge for an attendant, and in a WAV you must accept as many companions as can legally be seated. Normal fare rules apply to the trip itself.
• Passenger asks for help paying. In a WAV this is a duty (80-20(a)(6)(vii)). In any vehicle it is simply good service, and it avoids disputes later.

If you got an accessibility summons

Check which paragraph is charged. If it is a refusal or extra charge, the mandatory ladder applies and a plea still counts toward revocation; read TLC service refusal rules and discrimination complaints. If it is a securement or package charge, focus on the remedial course deadline. Either way, save your trip record and any camera footage, and read responding to a passenger complaint for the next steps.