Do I Have to Take Access-A-Ride Taxi Trips?

No, Access-A-Ride taxi offers are optional. TLC's driver sheet on accessible and e-hail trips says drivers of both regular and wheelchair-accessible taxis are not required to take the MTA's Access-A-Ride on-demand trips, and are not required to accept e-hail requests either. The catch: once you accept an e-hail, you must not refuse that passenger. And if you drive a wheelchair-accessible taxi (WAV), stricter rules apply after you accept.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Three kinds of trip offers

Your taxi's screen can show different kinds of requests. TLC's February 2023 sheet, Accessible and E-hail Trips: What Drivers Need to Know, compared them. One column has changed since: TLC's own Accessible Dispatch program ended on March 1, 2026 (Industry Notice 26-02).

Access-A-Ride on-demand: your choice

Access-A-Ride is the MTA's paratransit service for customers with disabilities. Its on-demand taxi option sends trips to taxis through your Technology Service Provider (TSP), the company behind your meter screen: Curb, or CMT/Arro. The 2023 TLC sheet says:

• the offer shows on the screen as "MTA ACCESS-A-RIDE";
• drivers are not required to take these trips;
• the passenger pays the amount in the offer, usually $2.75, and your TSP pays the balance; you may receive a metered or flat fare;
• for incentives, cancellations or no-shows, contact your TSP (CMT/Arro 718-393-2292; Curb 718-954-9440);
• the MTA program is a pilot, and rules may change.

We could not confirm the pilot's current terms on an MTA page for this review. Before relying on the payment details, check with your TSP.

E-hail: optional until you accept

Rule 80-19(a)(1) of Chapter 80 says: "Use of any licensed E-Hail Application by the Driver is optional." But rule 80-20(a)(5) says you "must not refuse to transport a Passenger after accepting a Hail from that Passenger by means of an E-Hail Application." That is a refusal, with TLC's mandatory refusal penalties. So decline offers you can't do; don't accept and then not show.

After you accept an e-hail, rule 80-25(c) also requires you to be logged on but unavailable for street hails, so you don't pick up someone else on the way. Once your e-hail rider is in the cab, the taxi rules on extra riders still apply: you may add passengers only at their request (80-19(a)(2)).

WAV taxi drivers: what changed in 2026

Before March 2026, TLC's Accessible Dispatch program sent wheelchair trips to WAV taxis, and accepting them was mandatory: the 2023 sheet said "Not accepting the trip is a service refusal." TLC's 2025 Annual Report explains that the agency adopted rules to move these trips to licensed e-hail apps, which already must offer a WAV option. Industry Notice 26-02 confirms that from March 1, 2026, those trips go through Arro, Curb and Myle, and passengers can book by phone at 646-599-9999.

What applies now under 80-20(a)(6): while operating an accessible vehicle, after accepting a metered e-hail, you must not refuse the passenger, and you must not operate the WAV unless the Technology System is turned on. Full details: Accessible Dispatch for taxi drivers.

Related: e-hail apps for NYC taxis, forcing a shared FHV ride, who pays the MTA tax in a taxi, can I pick up a street hail on my way home, can a passenger change the destination, how many passengers can ride in a taxi, group ride and the passengers topic.