The District’s first wheelchair-accessible taxi service was officially unveiled Thursday, the culmination of a two-year pilot program to help the city’s 12,000 residents who use wheelchairs to get around town. Each rollDC minivan is outfitted with a special back-door ramp and hooks to secure a wheelchair or electric scooter for a cab ride anywhere in town. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board purchased 20 vans, with Royal Cab and Yellow Cab of D.C. each operating 10 of them.

The taxis, some of which have been in service for more than a year, provide options that paratransit services can’t, riders say. MetroAccess, Metro’s shared-ride service for persons with disabilities, requires a call a day in advance and keeps to a strict schedule. With the wheelchair-accessible taxis, riders can come and go as they please, said Richard Devylder, a senior adviser for accessible transportation to the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.