Operations – Refusing Passengers.
35 RCNY § 56-20
in effect§ 56-20 Operations – Refusing Passengers.
(a) Must Not Refuse. Unless justified, a Driver who is dispatched must not refuse by words, gestures or any other means, to transport a person who has prearranged the trip with a destination within the City of New York. This includes a passenger accompanied by a service animal.
35 RCNY § 56-20(a) MANDATORY PENALTIES: See 35 RCNY § 56-02 Appearance REQUIRED
(b) Justification for Refusal. The following are justifiable grounds for refusing to provide transportation services:
(1) The passenger has a weapon.
(2) The passenger has a package or some article that the Driver reasonably believes could injure others or damage the Paratransit Vehicle.
(3) The passenger is intoxicated or disorderly. (A Driver will not, however, refuse to provide service solely because of behavior caused by a person's disability.)
(4) The passenger is accompanied by an animal which is not properly or adequately secured in a kennel case or other suitable container. This provision will not apply to service animals accompanying people with disabilities.
(5) The passenger is in need of emergency medical assistance.
(Amended City Record 12/9/2020, eff. 1/8/2021)
Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCrules/0-0-0-66093Fetched: 10/24/2026