NCD flags nationwide shortfalls in wheelchair-accessible ground transportation, spotlights local and tech solutions

The National Council on Disability released a report at its August quarterly meeting documenting widespread barriers to ground transportation for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices and urged stronger enforcement and policy measures to expand meaningful access.

"On July 23, NCD published a report titled Ground Transportation for People with Mobility Disabilities 2025: Challenges and Progress," Anna Torres Davis, executive director of the National Council on Disability, said as she opened a panel of advocates, practitioners and industry representatives. The report examines access to taxis, ride-hailing, shuttles, microtransit and autonomous vehicles through the lived experience of wheelchair users, academic studies and agency data.

The panel featured travel advocates who described repeated failures of accessible service. John Morris, founder of wheelchairtravel.org, recounted multiple incidents in which booked wheelchair taxis or hotel shuttles failed to arrive, leaving him stranded at airports or forced to sleep in terminals. "There is obviously an insufficient supply of accessible ground transportation, even in cities that have it," Morris said, describing canceled rides, unreturned calls and long waits that prevent routine travel.

Legal advocates drew attention to litigation over rideshare access. Sabrina Merrold, an associate at Cohen, Milstein, Sellers, and Toll, PLLC, summarized Lowell v. Lyft, a class-action that alleges Lyft’s policies deny access to WAVs (wheelchair-accessible vehicles) in parts of its service area and that this exclusion violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and state and city human-rights laws. "The lawsuit alleges that Lyft's policies and practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law," Merrold said. The district court ruled for Lyft; plaintiffs are appealing to the Second Circuit.

Panelists emphasized both enforcement of existing law and new policy options. Morris urged renewed Department of Justice action on accessible shuttles and equivalent-service requirements; Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Heather Ansley recommended federal funding and program changes to address sidewalks, curb cuts and paratransit gaps and to include people who use power chairs in new policy frameworks.

The meeting also highlighted examples of local innovation. Walton Harris, program manager for Montgomery County’s taxicab regulation unit, described a funding mechanism created under Maryland law that earmarks a $0.25 surcharge on TNC (Uber/Lyft) trips to support accessible service. Montgomery County pairs that funding with incentives for taxi operators — including reimbursements for vehicle purchase or retrofit and per-trip supplements — to expand WAV availability. "We currently offer a 45 up to $45,000 reimbursement for the purchase or retrofit of a, taxi gap," Harris said, adding that the county offers $20 per WAV trip and 40¢ per mile reimbursements to keep WAVs operating.

Technology and service models were presented as complements to regulation and enforcement. Aparna Paladougou of Via described microtransit deployments — on‑demand, dynamically routed small-vehicle services run by public agencies or contractors — that operate with accessible vehicles, non‑app booking options and data-sharing agreements with transit agencies to monitor equity and wait times. Via cited examples in Arlington, Texas and Jersey City where microtransit reduced wait times, improved on‑time performance and increased access for low-income riders and older adults.

The council also heard economic modeling of accessible autonomous vehicles. Elizabeth Laymon of the National Disability Institute said NDI’s macroeconomic analysis estimated that, under a moderate adoption scenario, accessible autonomous vehicles could create about 4,400,000 direct jobs for people with disabilities and as many as roughly 9,150,000 direct+indirect+induced jobs when broader economic effects are counted. "The adoption of AVs could create 4,400,000 jobs for people with disabilities," Laymon said.

Council members and advocates repeatedly underscored that technology alone will not solve access problems without enforcement and policy design that explicitly includes people with disabilities. The report and panel urged USDOT, the Department of Justice and state legislatures to preserve or expand local authority to require accessible service, to enforce equivalent-service requirements for shuttles and taxis, and to include wheelchair users in the design and procurement of emerging modes such as AV robo‑taxis.

Procedurally, the council called for and began a roll-call vote to approve NCD’s progress report; several members recorded their approval, but the chair held the vote open after a connectivity issue prevented one member from registering her vote. The council later recessed until the next day to continue its agenda.

Next steps noted at the meeting included further public comment solicitation (NCD staff said RFIs and requests for information will be used to inform new projects), close monitoring of the Lowell v. Lyft appeal, and continued engagements with local pilots and federal rulemaking to ensure accessibility is part of AV and microtransit deployment planning.