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296 Mercedes-Benz Metris vans held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026: 285 for-hire vehicles (FHVs) and 11 yellow taxis. Unlike almost every other model in this part of the fleet, the Metris is mainly a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV): 235 of the FHV vans are marked WAV.
That is because the Metris is one of the few models on TLC's approved accessible list, for model years 2017 to 2023. If you are looking at a Metris to get new FHV plates, the exact year and conversion company decide whether it qualifies.
How we counted
TLC's FHV list and medallion vehicle list list VINs but no model names, so TLC Help decoded every VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. The WAV count comes from the FHV list's own wheelchair_accessible column. The medallion list has no such column, so the 11 Metris taxis are not split by accessibility here.
Model years: a fleet frozen in place
Model year 2018 alone has 116 vans, 39.2% of the total, and 2019 adds 62. The newest Metris on TLC plates is a 2023, and there are no 2024 or later vans at all. The EPA's fuel economy listings also stop at model year 2023 for the Metris. So anyone wanting a Metris WAV now is buying a used van that is at least a few years old.
Four vans are model year 2016, a year that is not on the approved list. The data can't show how or when they were licensed.
The 11 Metris taxis are model years 2019, 2021 and 2022. Accessible taxis have no set retirement date while they keep passing inspections; see TLC vehicle retirement age.
What the approved list says
TLC's approved accessible vehicle list, revised October 2, 2026, has one Metris entry:
Since July 20, 2024, FHV wheelchair accessible vehicles must come from this list (TLC accessible vehicle requirements). New FHV licenses are only issued for WAVs, and a license issued that way stays WAV-only: if you replace the van later, the replacement must be a WAV too (TLC). For the full steps, read get a new FHV license with a WAV and approved wheelchair accessible vehicles.
For yellow taxis, TLC's hack-up page says owners may hack up a used WAV if its make, model, year and converter are approved, and that since October 18, 2024 every hack-up must be accessible.
WAV pay and dispatch
TLC's FHV accessibility FAQ says TLC gives no financial incentives to own or drive FHV WAVs, and you cannot charge more for a WAV trip. It also says bases of any class can dispatch trips to any WAV. See WAV driver pay, WAV drivers and the base WAV trip mandate.
Fuel and base types
Every Metris decodes as gas. The EPA rates the 2018 Metris passenger van at 21 mpg combined and lists premium fuel (EPA). The rating is for the factory van; a wheelchair conversion can change weight and fuel use.
276 are at black car bases, 11 are yellow taxis, 8 are at livery bases and 1 at a luxury limousine base.
Among FHVs marked WAV, the Metris is fifth, just behind the Chrysler Voyager (244). The Toyota Sienna leads by far with 7,914. Also see the Honda Odyssey, TLC vehicle inspection and TLC fleet by make and model.
Run your own numbers in the lease-vs-buy tool. More in the vehicles topic.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Mercedes-Benz Metris: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Mercedes-Benz Metris, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Mercedes-Benz Metris in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Mercedes-Benz Metris vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Mercedes-Benz Metris: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Mercedes-Benz Metris vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 235 WAV, 0 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
- Most common wheelchair-accessible FHV models — Models among active FHVs flagged WAV or PILOT in TLC's wheelchair_accessible column.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026TLC's FHV list marks vehicles 'WAV' or 'PILOT' in wheelchair_accessible without defining PILOT in the dataset — don't explain it without a TLC source. The medallion list has no accessibility column, so medallion WAVs are not counted here.
Frequently asked questions
How many Mercedes-Benz Metris vans are licensed by the TLC?
296 on October 12, 2026: 285 for-hire vehicles and 11 yellow taxis, or 0.26% of TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are most TLC Metris vans wheelchair accessible?
Yes. 235 of the 285 FHV Metris vans (82.5%) are marked WAV in TLC's FHV list. The medallion list has no accessibility column, so the 11 Metris taxis are not counted either way.
Is the Metris on TLC's approved accessible vehicle list?
Yes. TLC's list revised October 2, 2026 includes the Mercedes-Benz Metris Accessible, Rear Entry, model years 2017–2023, with the ADA Compliant conversion by TransitWorks/Driverge.
Can I get a new FHV license with a Metris WAV?
Only if it matches the approved list: a 2017–2023 Metris with the approved rear-entry conversion. Since July 20, 2024, FHV wheelchair accessible vehicles must come from that list, and a license issued for a WAV stays restricted to WAVs.
Do I get paid more for driving a Metris WAV?
Not from TLC. TLC says it does not provide financial incentives to own or drive FHV WAVs, and drivers cannot charge passengers more for WAV trips.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- TLC: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- TLC: Accessible Vehicle Requirements nyc.gov
- TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License nyc.gov
- TLC: FHV Accessibility FAQ for owners and drivers nyc.gov
- TLC: Yellow Cab Hack-Up nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2018 Mercedes-Benz Metris (Passenger Van) fueleconomy.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.