Taxis For All Campaign v. Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC)

In January 2011, DRA and Sheppard Mullin filed a class action lawsuit against New York City and the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) on behalf of a coalition of people with disabilities, including Taxis For All Campaign, United Spinal Association, 504 Democratic Club, and Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, challenging the TLC’s dismal lack of wheelchair-accessible taxis in New York City. When the case was initiated, 231 of the City’s 13,437 yellow taxis – just 1.8% – could accommodate wheelchairs.

Taxis are a critical transportation system in New York City. Locals and visitors alike rely on them for business, leisure, and emergency transport, and for individuals with mobility disabilities, lack of accessible taxis is a barrier to participation in every aspect of city life. The Plaintiffs in this case did not seek damages, only demanding access to this vital transportation network.

In December 2013, Plaintiffs and the City reached a historic settlement agreement to make New York City’s taxi fleet the most accessible in the country and one of the most accessible in the world. The settlement agreement required the TLC to make its yellow medallion taxi fleet 50% wheelchair accessible by the end of 2020. The settlement agreement was approved by the Court in September 2014.

In the years since, an increase in the number of accessible yellow taxis has improved wheelchair users’ ability to hail a yellow taxi just like everyone else can. Nevertheless, despite an extension of time to fulfill its obligation, the TLC not only failed to reach the 50% accessibility threshold, but tried to escape its obligation altogether. In February 2024, DRA filed a motion to enforce the settlement agreement and ensure that the TLC complies with its court-ordered commitments. In March 2024, the TLC moved to free itself from its court-ordered obligations, prompting DRA and its partners to file a response challenging this motion in federal court.

In August 2024, a federal judge denied the City’s motion to free itself from its court-ordered obligation and granted DRA’s motion to enforce the obligation to make at least half of its taxi fleet accessible. To do so, the Court ordered that 100% of all new vehicles affiliated with an unrestricted medallion be an accessible vehicle until the 50% requirement is met. In his decision, Judge George B. Daniels found that the City’s failure to meet its settlement obligations injured riders with disabilities and ruled that, despite the City’s claims that it was impossible to make half of its taxi fleet accessible, it could do so by requiring that all new taxis be made accessible.