WAV Taxi Cabs: Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles
Accessible taxi cabs in Boston are known as WAVs. This stands for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles.
WAVs are part of the City’s general taxi fleet. They operate just like standard cabs. You can hail them on-street or call ahead for pickup.
You don’t have to fill out any applications or schedule your trips in advance to use WAVs. There are 100 WAVs in Boston licensed by the Boston Police Hackney Unit. Each WAV has a Taxi Medallion License plate with a number on the back of its vehicle.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Disabilities Commission
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1 City Hall Square
Room 967Boston, MA 02201-2041
Accessibility ratings
Not all WAVs in Boston are ADA compliant. As of right now, there are 44 fully ADA Compliant WAVs. The other 56 have varying levels of access.
All 100 WAVs are rated for ADA compliance and accessibility using a scale of “A - F." WAVs rated “A” are ADA compliant. WAVs rated “F” have very limited accessibility.
Accessibility Ratings are posted on the back of each WAV next to the Taxi Medallion License. Look next to the small wheelchair sticker for a BLUE LETTER grade of: A, B, C, D, F.
Getting a WAV taxi
We put together a list of current ADA compliant,“A” rated WAV cabs at the bottom of this page. We also included the phone number and cab company that each WAV taxi belongs to.
Just call one of the cab companies listed on this page and request a WAV cab. You can ask for an “A” rated WAV cab, or you can ask for a specific taxi medallion number.
Each year, more and more WAVs are being brought into full ADA compliance. Our goal is to have all of the 100 WAV taxis in Boston fully ADA compliant within the coming years.
ADA Compliant Taxi Medallion Numbers
Please note: The wait time for a WAV taxi may be longer than the expected wait for a standard taxi.
Demand for a WAV taxi can be high, and not all vehicles may be on the road at a given time. The City of Boston is currently working to improve the experience for WAV taxi users by working with taxi companies to increase the number of WAV taxis and replace older vehicles with fully ADA compliant models.
| Company | Phone number | Medallion number |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Taxi Operator's Association (IOTA) | 617-268-1313 | |
| Metro Cab | 617-782-5500 | 1530, 1558, 1569, 1784, 1787, 1789, 1805, 1817, 1602 |
