A new report from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest confirms what many people with disabilities already experience every day: accessible transportation remains far out of reach.
Despite more than 106,000 for-hire vehicles operating in New York City through companies like Uber and Lyft, only about seven percent of those vehicles are wheelchair-accessible, according to the report. For passengers with disabilities who rely on accessible transportation, that number is not just disappointing — it directly affects whether they can move freely through their own communities.
Transportation determines far more than how someone gets from one place to another. It determines whether someone can get to work, attend school, visit family, or participate in everyday life. Yet the report found that passengers requesting wheelchair-accessible vehicles wait nearly twice as long for a ride compared to passengers requesting standard vehicles.
Outside of New York City, the situation is even more troubling, the report found. In cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, wheelchair-accessible ride options are often not available through ride-hailing apps at all.
For many people with disabilities, this creates a painful reality: independence becomes conditional.
People with disabilities often need accommodations to navigate the world. Yet those accommodations frequently come with additional financial burdens. Many individuals within the disability community live on fixed incomes or government assistance. When accessible transportation is limited or unavailable, people are forced to rely on expensive alternatives just to meet daily needs.
For some, transportation costs consume a large portion of their monthly income. Others are forced to overdraft their accounts simply to travel to work, medical appointments, or essential errands.
And for many, the cost and difficulty become so overwhelming that they simply stop going out.
When transportation is inaccessible, people with disabilities can become isolated in their own homes. The result can feel like a form of confinement — not because of disability itself, but because systems designed for the public fail to include everyone.
While the report focuses primarily on wheelchair accessibility, barriers to transportation affect many different members of the disability community.
As a DeafBlind journalist, I have experienced these barriers firsthand. There have been times when I included instructions in ride requests explaining that I am DeafBlind and asking drivers to meet me at a specific location to make the pickup process easier. Instead of accommodating that request, some drivers canceled the ride or insisted that I come to them.
Friends of mine who use guide dogs have faced similar challenges. Some have had drivers refuse their rides entirely because they did not want a dog in the vehicle. Yet guide dogs are not pets. They are essential working animals that provide independence and safety for people with disabilities.
Experiences like these reveal a deeper problem: accessibility is still being treated as an afterthought.
Ride-sharing companies have transformed transportation and built global platforms that millions rely on every day. With that influence comes responsibility. Accessibility should not be buried beneath other ride options in an app or treated as a specialty service. It should be standard.
The report outlines several solutions, including legislation that would help expand wheelchair-accessible vehicles and ensure that future transportation technologies remain inclusive.
Recently, Uber announced a self-booking option through its Uber Health platform that allows riders with disabilities to arrange transportation themselves, offering greater autonomy for trips to jobs, appointments, and community activities. While this is a promising step toward accessibility, continued improvements will be needed to ensure transportation truly works for everyone.
Policy alone will not solve the problem. Real progress will require commitment from both lawmakers and transportation companies to ensure passengers with disabilities are not left behind.
New York has long positioned itself as a leader in advancing civil rights and opportunity. Ensuring accessible transportation for people with disabilities is part of that promise.
Because accessibility is not a luxury. It is dignity. It is opportunity. And most importantly, it is freedom. I urge you to contact your local representatives to support legislation like the Green Accessible Transition Act and call on ride-share companies to prioritize accessibility. Together, we can turn this urgent need into real change.
Please visit here to read the report from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest: “Left Behind Across New York: How For-Hire Vehicles Continue to Fail Riders with Disabilities — and What Must Change.”