Only 7% of Rideshare Vehicles Are Wheelchair-Accessible Despite Demand

In New York City, just 7% of the nearly 106,000 for-hire vehicles licensed by the Taxi & Limousine Commission are wheelchair-accessible, and availability is even worse in most other U.S. cities where Uber WAV and Lyft Access programs operate in fewer than 20 metropolitan areas total. Wait times for wheelchair-accessible rideshare vehicles are structurally longer than standard rides even in the best markets. Why it matters: Wheelchair users cannot get on-demand transportation with the same reliability as non-disabled riders. So what? They miss medical appointments, job interviews, and social engagements because rides arrive late or not at all. So what? This transportation gap directly constrains employment, healthcare access, and social participation for wheelchair users. So what? The isolation and reduced economic participation worsen health outcomes and deepen poverty among people who already face higher living costs due to disability. So what? The promise of rideshare technology to democratize transportation has instead created a two-tier system where disabled riders subsidize the convenience of non-disabled riders through their exclusion. Structural root cause: Rideshare platforms operate on a marketplace model where driver supply follows demand density, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles cost more to acquire, maintain, and operate, creating a structural economic disincentive that no amount of regulatory mandates has overcome because enforcement mechanisms lag behind the pace of the gig economy.