Accessible bus travel in NYC

Updated October 29, 2026

Every MTA bus is accessible to riders who use wheelchairs. This guide explains what the buses have, how boarding works, the rules for service animals and strollers, and the fare programs that can help. Rules and fares are as of October 2026, and the linked MTA pages have the latest details.

What's on the bus

Ramps, lifts and kneeling

Local and Select Bus Service buses have low floors and a ramp at the front door. Coach-style express buses have a lift. Local and Select buses can also "kneel," lowering the front of the bus toward the curb to shorten the step. Newer buses have wider doors and ramps with a bright yellow center line. The MTA describes these features on its bus accessibility improvements page.

Wheelchair spaces

The wheelchair area is at the front of the bus, and the operator secures your wheelchair or scooter once you're in place. You can board facing forward or backward. On many buses the seats in this area flip up. When they're folded down, a companion traveling with you can sit in them.

Priority seating

The seats behind the operator are priority seats for older riders and people with disabilities. Other riders have to give them up if asked.

Stop announcements

A recording or the operator announces the stops. Most New York City Transit buses also have digital screens with audio and visual information on routes, stops and transfers. If you have low vision, ask the operator to tell you when your stop is next. If you miss it, let the operator know, and they'll let you off at the next stop.

Boarding with a wheelchair or scooter

The MTA's accessible travel by bus page describes these steps:

  1. Wait where the operator can see you, and signal as the bus approaches.
  2. The operator lines up the bus and lowers the ramp or lift, or kneels the bus.
  3. Pay at the OMNY reader near the operator. If you're using a mobility device, the operator can give you a postage-paid envelope so you can pay the fare by mail.
  4. Lock your brakes while you board and again once you're in position.
  5. Before your stop, press one of the strips near the windows. Wait until the bus has fully stopped before you unlock your brakes. The operator then removes the straps and lowers the ramp or lift.

Service animals and pets

Riders with disabilities can bring service animals anywhere in the MTA system. Your animal has to be under your control at all times, usually on a harness, leash or tether, unless your disability or the animal's task rules that out. You don't need ID for a service animal. See the MTA's service animal policy for details. Pets are different: they have to ride in a bag or carrier.

Strollers

The MTA is putting a marked open-stroller space on every local and Select Bus Service bus and plans to finish by the end of 2026. Before you get on, look for the stroller sticker near the front door on the outside of the bus. It tells you whether you can board without folding your stroller. The MTA's open stroller page sets these rules:

  • Each bus fits one open stroller. The space is near the rear door, either open floor or two seats that flip up.
  • If someone else's stroller is in the space, or yours doesn't fit, fold it.
  • Keep your child secured, put the brakes on, and keep hold of the stroller while the bus is moving.
  • Keep the aisle clear, and don't use the space for other large items.
  • The stroller space is separate from the wheelchair area at the front.

Reduced Fare

If you're 65 or older or have a qualifying disability, you can pay half fare. Qualifying disabilities include getting Medicare for a reason other than age. The reduced fare is $1.50 on local, limited and Select Bus Service buses, where the full fare is $3. The reduced express bus fare is $3.60, except on weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., when it isn't offered.

You pay by tapping a Reduced-Fare OMNY card. Once you've paid 12 fares in seven days, the rest of your rides in those seven days are free. You can apply in person or by mail. The Reduced-Fare program page lists the documents you'll need.

Access-A-Ride and the bus

Access-A-Ride is the MTA's shared-ride paratransit service. It's for people with a disability that prevents them from using buses or subways. It runs 24 hours a day across the five boroughs. To use it, you apply and go through an evaluation, which decides whether your eligibility is full or conditional.

Access-A-Ride customers can also take regular buses, and doing so has no effect on their paratransit eligibility. Eligible customers get four free trips a day with the AAR OMNY ID card. The free trips cover local, limited and Select Bus Service buses and the subway. Express buses aren't included. If your card shows an approved personal care attendant, they ride free with you. Tap the card once for you and once for them.

Tips for a smoother trip

  • Check live arrival times before you leave, so you spend less time waiting at the stop.
  • Signal the operator early so they have time to line the bus up with the curb.
  • From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., you can ask to get off between stops where it's safe, on local routes and on express routes while they're dropping off. This Request-A-Stop service isn't offered on limited, Select Bus Service or shuttle buses, or on the nonstop stretches of Rush routes.
  • Look at service alerts before you go, because detours can move your stop.

To see when the next bus will reach your stop, look it up by its code (see bus stop codes). You can also browse all NYC bus routes.

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