TLC WAV Training: Passenger Assistance Course Explained

Passenger Assistance and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) training is a required TLC course for new taxi, green cab and for-hire drivers: at least 3 hours of class and a 1-hour hands-on assessment in which you secure a wheelchair user in an accessible vehicle yourself. It is a condition of licensing under TLC rule §80-04(j)(4), and the hands-on part comes back in the renewal course every three years. The skill it teaches — using all six securements correctly — is also what protects you from refusal and safety complaints later.

Who takes it, and when

• New applicants for a TLC Driver License take it during the 90-day application window, at a TLC-authorized school. TLC recommends finishing it before the TLC exam, because the material is on the test (TLC Driver Education).
• Renewing drivers don't repeat the full course, but the renewal course ends with about an hour of hands-on wheelchair securement (renewal guide).
• Commuter van and paratransit drivers are exempt from TLC's course.
• If your application was denied and you reapply within 6 months of finishing WAV training, TLC's course transfer policy (effective October 1, 2024) says you don't need to retake it — unless you were disqualified from the exam.

It sits alongside the 24-hour course and exam; see TLC driver education courses for the full list and how to get a TLC license for the 90-day plan.

What the classroom part covers

TLC lists these topics:

• the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a driver's duties under it;
• disability etiquette — how to offer help, and how to listen when a passenger says how they want it done;
• types of disabilities, including ones you can't see;
• service animals — see service animals and accessibility;
• safely securing a wheelchair user in an accessible vehicle.

The hands-on assessment

This is not a demonstration you watch. TLC says you must physically complete every step, including pushing a wheelchair passenger into the vehicle and bending to connect the floor straps. For the renewal course, TLC says students who can't complete the physical training don't receive credit. If you have a physical limitation, ask TLC before you book (TLC lists licensingi@tlc.nyc.gov for questions about the physical requirements).

The six securements, step by step

TLC's free how-to pamphlet shows the onboarding sequence. Here it is in words. Your vehicle's manual and TLC's model-specific videos (Nissan NV200 and Toyota Sienna) on the WAV resources page show the details for your ramp.

TLC's helpful tips from the same pamphlet: don't rush, tell passengers what you're doing, listen to them, use all six straps, never use broken equipment, and keep the vehicle clean. TLC also distributed a decal in 2023 for the interior rear wall of WAVs reminding drivers to always offer all six securements.

If you've never used a ramp

If you have never used a wheelchair-accessible vehicle before the assessment, a few things make the first time easier:

• Learn the vehicle before the passenger. Practice opening and stowing the ramp, and sliding straps into the floor tracks, with no one on board.
• Ask, then act. TLC's pamphlet scripts simple questions: "Can I help you into the vehicle?", "Can you lock your brakes, or do you need me to?", "Are you comfortable?" Use them. Passengers know their own equipment best.
• Some passengers prefer to transfer to a seat. TLC's NV200 video series includes onboarding a passenger to a vehicle seat. Follow the passenger's choice.
• Explain before you push. Before the push-pull test, tell the passenger what you are about to do.

Dropping off and ending the trip

TLC's NV200 video series has separate videos for dropping off a passenger and ending the trip, and the Sienna series shows how to open the ramp and onboard. Release steps differ by ramp and track design, so watch the video for the vehicle you actually drive rather than relying on memory from class. Let the passenger set the pace, keep talking them through each step, and stow the straps neatly so they're ready — and untangled — for the next trip.

Keep the skills fresh

The renewal course tests the hands-on part again every three years, but you may go months without a wheelchair trip. TLC's pamphlet comes in a mobile version in seven languages, so you can keep it on your phone and run through it before a pickup. If a strap, buckle or ramp part is broken, TLC's guidance is plain: do not use broken equipment — tell the vehicle owner or base and get it fixed before you carry a wheelchair passenger.

Why this course matters after you're licensed

The training isn't only a box to tick. TLC's rules treat refusing passengers with disabilities as a refusal of service with mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)). Two of the listed refusals are directly about what this course teaches:

• §80-20(a)(2): requiring a passenger with a disability to have an assistant, or trying to charge extra for one;
• §80-20(a)(3): refusing to transport wheelchairs, crutches or other mobility aids.

These counts combine refusals and overcharges, so different violations add up toward revocation. For more, read TLC service refusal rules. If you drive an accessible vehicle regularly, our page for WAV drivers collects the rules that apply to you.

Tips for passing

• Watch the videos first. TLC's securement videos have subtitles in many languages (closed captions → settings → Subtitles/CC).
• Practice the order out loud. Front straps, brakes, back straps, lap belt, shoulder belt, test.
• Wear clothes you can kneel in. You will be bending to the floor tracks.
• Ask the instructor to check your strap tension and your test push-pull before the assessment.

If you get a summons about a passenger with a disability, take it seriously: penalties stack quickly. Scan the summons to see what it means and your options.