NEW YORK, Sept. 29 (NYCDV) – New York City now has more than 13,000 wheelchair- accessible vehicles operating across its yellow taxi, green taxi, and for-hire vehicle fleets, serving an average of 70,000 accessible trips each month, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s section of the Fiscal 2026 Mayor’s Management Report.
The report also noted that, in June 2025, more than half of the active yellow taxi fleet was wheelchair accessible for the first time. The report was released on Sept. 17.
“On Sept. 17, the TLC Board voted unanimously to extend the Accessible Taxi Loan Assistance Service (ATLAS) pilot program for one year. The program helps medallion owners purchase and hack up wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs). So far, 42 owners have obtained WAVs through ATLAS, with funding available to assist up to 58 more,” TLC Communications Specialist James Parziale told NYC Drivers’ Voice today in response to an inquiry.
The TLC has provided financial assistance to support the purchase of accessible vehicles. Through the Taxi Improvement Fund, eligible drivers and vehicle owners received more than $46 million in Fiscal 2026, with assistance of up to $30,000 available for new wheelchair- accessible taxis.
The report also describes the Accessible Taxi Loan Assistance Service (ATLAS), a pilot program that helps qualified medallion owners finance an accessible vehicle purchase.
At a Sept. 17 TLC meeting, Assistant Commissioner Cindi Davidson said the agency was recommending that ATLAS be extended for another year.
“We’re making the recommendation to extend the ATLAS program for one more year,” Davidson said.
Sharmin Kashem, deputy director of the TLC Owner/Driver Resource Center, also supported extending the pilot. She said the extension could help expand the accessible fleet, lower vehicle loan costs and support the taxi sector’s economic vitality.
The ATLAS pilot was established through a TLC resolution adopted April 30, 2026, in partnership with the Disability Opportunity Fund, Empire State Development and the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA).
Kamal Ahmed holds a master’s degree in Economics and an associate degree in Health Sciences in the United States. He has more than a decade of experience in the for-hire vehicle (FHV) industry and has worked with the American Transit Insurance Company (ATIC), currently serving as a consultant to both sectors. He is the Chief Editor of NYC Drivers’ Voice. Previously, he worked for daily newspapers and the national news agency of Bangladesh. He also served as a stringer for Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Press Trust of India (PTI), and the Xinhua News Agency.
