Taxi WAV Drivers: The $77 Weekly Credit Explained

If you lease a medallion for a wheelchair-accessible taxi and the owner is getting Taxi Improvement Fund (TIF) money for it, your weekly lease must include a $77 credit. TLC's driver bill of rights puts it in one line: "Owners must credit drivers $77/week if the owner is receiving TIF Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Operational Payments" (DOV poster). The rule is in §58-21(c).

The short answer

When the credit applies

All three must be true:

1. You lease the medallion as a driver-owner or medallion-only lessee. The credit is written into the medallion-only cap (58-21(c)(3)(ii)) and the long-term lease where you buy the car (58-21(c)(4), $952 for the medallion plus $275 for the vehicle).
2. The taxi is an accessible taxi (WAV).
3. The owner is required to run it as an accessible taxi or is receiving TIF accessible-vehicle payments. The rule says the reduction "is the result of the Medallion Owner's receipt of payment" from the fund.

Why the owner can afford it: the TIF pays owners of accessible medallion taxis. Under 58-50, an owner who gets the $20,000 hack-up payment can then get operational payments adding up to $10,000 over four years, as long as the cab passes inspection, completes at least 750 trips between inspections and stays logged into the accessible dispatch system. Part of that money is meant to reach you through the $77 credit.

For scale: TLC's 2025 Annual Report counted "over 6,000 accessible taxis in service" at the end of 2025.

How it shows on receipts

Owners must give you a written receipt for every payment or deduction, with the date, the amount, the purpose and the TLC rule that allows it (58-21(g)). For long-term vehicle-purchase leases under 58-21(c)(4), the receipt must also show the $77 credit in the weekly payment (58-21(g)(3)(vi)(E)). Missing receipt details can bring a $200 fine.

Check each weekly receipt for:

• A line for the medallion lease and a line for the vehicle payment (DOV).
• A separate $77 credit, or a medallion amount that is already $77 lower.
• The rule number next to each charge.

What to do if missing

Owners may not retaliate against you for complaining to TLC (58-21(j)). More: Driver Protection Unit.

What to do next

• All the ways WAV drivers earn more, including the $10 trip payment and app WAV rates: WAV driver pay in NYC.
• Thinking of buying an accessible cab? See the ATLAS accessible taxi loan program and approved wheelchair accessible vehicles.
• Required course before you drive one: WAV training.

Related rules and exceptions

• A collective bargaining agreement that sets lease prices replaces the standard caps (58-21(c)(7)).
• Rule 58-21 points to sub-paragraphs of 58-50 for the payment conditions, and those cross-references don't line up neatly with 58-50's current numbering. If your owner disputes whether the medallion qualifies, ask the DPU to confirm.
• App and FHV WAV drivers do not get this credit; TLC says it gives no financial incentives to own or drive FHV WAVs. Base WAV rules: base WAV trip mandate. App request data: WAV trip requests on Uber and Lyft.