United States · federal law
A ride is not covered by the rule on ServDog's United States page. That rule is the Department of Justice's, for a place of public accommodation. A taxi and a ride booked in an app both come under the Department of Transportation's rules in 49 CFR Part 37, and this page carries them. It is what ServDog's door screen shows for that setting, for a US record.
The rules bind the company. A driver is how the company acts, so everything below is what a driver may and may not do at the kerb — and where a company sets a policy, the same rules bind the policy.
The rule
The entity shall permit service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in vehicles and facilities.
— 49 CFR § 37.167(d). The same section opens: "This section applies to public and private entities." eCFR
The Department of Transportation's own commentary on that section, in Appendix D to Part 37, says it twice over:
Service animals shall always be permitted to accompany their users in any private or public transportation vehicle or facility.
— Appendix D to 49 CFR Part 37, on § 37.167. eCFR
And for taxis in particular:
Providers of taxi service are subject to the requirements of this part for private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people which provide demand responsive service.
— 49 CFR § 37.29(a). eCFR
A ride booked in an app
The rule does not turn on how the ride was booked. Section 37.5(f) reaches any private entity "primarily engaged in the business of transporting people" whose operations affect commerce, and § 37.29(a) puts taxi service inside that, as a private entity "primarily engaged in the business of transporting people which provide demand responsive service". Appendix D says what that covers:
For purposes of this section, other transportation services that involve calling for a car and a driver to take one places (e.g., limousine services, of the kind that provide luxury cars and chauffeurs for senior proms and analogous adult events) are regarded as taxi services.
— Appendix D to 49 CFR Part 37, on § 37.29. eCFR
Calling for a car and a driver to take you places is what an app does. The same rule applies, and the lines on the screen are the same lines.
Uber and Lyft tell their drivers the same thing in their own rules, and both take a report in the app. Read on 23 September 2026: Uber's Service Animal and Assistive Device Policy (United States), last modified 3 February 2025, tells drivers they may not deny a ride because of a service animal, says there is no exception for an allergy, a religious objection or a general fear of animals, says a service animal need not wear a tag, be registered or show any proof, and says a rider reports a problem through the Rider App or the website. Lyft's service animal policy for US riders says its policy and the law require drivers to accommodate riders with service animals, that a driver may ask only the two questions and may not ask for documentation, and that a rider reports a problem through the Lyft app, the Contact us button, or its service animal hotline. Those are their rules and not the law; the law is what is quoted above, and it applies whether or not a company has a policy. Both pages are on ServDog's US legal-monitoring list, because a company can change its own rule without notice.
Where the two-question rule comes from
The Department of Transportation's rules send a taxi company to the Department of Justice's rules for part of its duties:
Private entities that are primarily engaged in the business of transporting people and whose operations affect commerce shall not discriminate against any individual on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of specified transportation services. This obligation includes, with respect to the provision of transportation services, compliance with the requirements of the rules of the Department of Justice concerning eligibility criteria, making reasonable modifications, providing auxiliary aids and services, and removing barriers (28 CFR 36.301-36.306).
— 49 CFR § 37.5(f). eCFR
Section 36.302 sits inside that range, and it is the section headed "Modifications in policies, practices, or procedures". Its service-animal paragraph is the two-question rule, quoted in full on ServDog's United States page:
A public accommodation shall not ask about the nature or extent of a person's disability, but may make two inquiries to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal. A public accommodation may ask if the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. A public accommodation shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal. Generally, a public accommodation may not make these inquiries about a service animal when it is readily apparent that an animal is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability (e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or has low vision, pulling a person's wheelchair, or providing assistance with stability or balance to an individual with an observable mobility disability).
— 28 CFR § 36.302(c)(6), in full. Its last sentence is why the line below begins "If it is not obvious". eCFR
Where the two sets of rules meet, Part 37 says which wins:
Entities to which this part applies also may be subject to ADA regulations of the Department of Justice (28 CFR parts 35 or 36, as applicable). The provisions of this part shall be interpreted in a manner that will make them consistent with applicable Department of Justice regulations. In any case of apparent inconsistency, the provisions of this part shall prevail.
— 49 CFR § 37.21(c). eCFR
What a driver may do
If it is not obvious, ask if the dog is a service animal the passenger needs, and what task it is trained to do. Section 36.302(c)(6), above, reached through § 37.5(f) — including its last sentence, which is where "If it is not obvious" comes from.
Refuse a passenger who is violent, seriously disruptive or breaking the law, or a direct threat to others.
It is not discrimination under this part for an entity to refuse to provide service to an individual with disabilities because that individual engages in violent, seriously disruptive, or illegal conduct, or represents a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
— 49 CFR § 37.5(h), first sentence. eCFR
What a driver may not do
Refuse the ride because of the dog, where the passenger can use a taxi vehicle, and charge a higher fare or a fee for carrying the dog. The lines say "a passenger" rather than naming the passenger's situation, because the handover may not carry that word outside a quotation; the regulation's own words are below.
Private entities providing taxi service shall not discriminate against individuals with disabilities by actions including, but not limited to, refusing to provide service to individuals with disabilities who can use taxi vehicles, refusing to assist with the stowing of mobility devices, and charging higher fares or fees for carrying individuals with disabilities and their equipment than are charged to other persons.
— 49 CFR § 37.29(c). And generally:
An entity shall not impose special charges, not authorized by this part, on individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, for providing services required by this part or otherwise necessary to accommodate them.
— 49 CFR § 37.5(d). Neither of those two sentences mentions an animal; Appendix D does:
So would charging extra to carry a service animal accompanying an individual with a disability.
— Appendix D to 49 CFR Part 37, on § 37.5, where "so would" follows its examples of charges that are inconsistent with the rule. The same passage says a taxi may still charge nondiscriminatory fees: its example is a company that charges $1.00 to stow luggage and may not charge $2.00 to stow a folding wheelchair.
Require any paperwork, such as a certificate, training papers or a service-animal registration. Section 36.302(c)(6), above: a business "shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal". This line does not rest on that chain alone: Appendix D's "Service animals shall always be permitted to accompany their users in any private or public transportation vehicle or facility" leaves no room for a paperwork condition either.
Ordinary dog licensing is a different matter, and still applies — a driver is not a licensing authority, but the point is worth knowing: "Mandatory registration of service animals is not permissible under the ADA. However, as stated above, service animals are subject to the same licensing and vaccination rules that are applied to all dogs." (ADA.gov, service animal FAQ, Q20.)
Refuse because of an allergy or a fear of dogs. The Department of Justice's guidance on the rule that § 37.5(f) carries into a vehicle says so in its own words:
Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals.
— ADA.gov, ADA Requirements: Service Animals. ADA.gov It is guidance on § 36.302(c), not a sentence of Part 37, and it reaches a driver the same way the two-question rule does: through § 37.5(f). This line is on the screen because an allergy is the reason a driver gives most often.
Refuse only because the passenger's appearance or involuntary behavior may offend, annoy or inconvenience anyone.
However, an entity shall not refuse to provide service to an individual with disabilities solely because the individual's disability results in appearance or involuntary behavior that may offend, annoy, or inconvenience employees of the entity or other persons.
— 49 CFR § 37.5(h), second sentence.
Require the passenger to bring someone with them.
An entity shall not require that an individual with disabilities be accompanied by an attendant.
— 49 CFR § 37.5(e). eCFR
The Department of Transportation's own definition is wider
Part 37 does not define a service animal as the ADA does. The ADA's is dogs only:
Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition.
— 28 CFR § 36.104. eCFR
The Department of Transportation's is not:
Service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
— 49 CFR § 37.3. eCFR
The lines on ServDog's door screen say "the dog", which is true under either definition. For Part 37's own duties the wider definition is the one in Part 37, and § 37.21(c) above says Part 37 prevails on any apparent inconsistency. What this page does not answer is which definition travels through § 37.5(f) into the Department of Justice's two-question rule, and nobody should read it as answered here.
What this page does not cover
Buses, trains and other transport. Part 37 covers far more than taxis and app rides. Only that case is on this page.
What a ServDog record is, here
Nothing ServDog issues conveys rights. A ServDog record is a record the handler keeps, and it is not a document a driver may demand. The Department of Justice says of the certificates and registrations sold online: "These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal." (ADA.gov, service animal FAQ, Q17.) The rule above applies whether or not a record exists.
Last reviewed: 24 September 2026.