Miami wheelchair accessibility guide

All Metrorail stations are accessible to wheelchair users and other mobility-aid users, with elevators connecting the platforms to street level. Metrobus gives wheelchair users priority boarding, and each bus carries either a lift or a ramp. The Downtown Metromover is fare-free, but if a station elevator is out of service, Miami-Dade Transit will dispatch back-up accessible service within 30 minutes once you ask.

If a disability prevents you from using the fixed-route network independently, Special Transportation Service (STS) is the county's door-to-door paratransit. STS runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across most of Miami-Dade County. The fare is $3.50 per one-way trip, with the same fee for companions; pre-certified personal care attendants ride free. ADA scheduling rules give a one-hour negotiation window around your requested pickup time.

Outside the bus and rail network, driving is the dominant pattern. Uber WAV and Lyft Access offer wheelchair-accessible vehicles on demand in central Miami, although pickup times can be longer than a standard ride. Mears and other operators run wheelchair-lift transfers from MIA airport to the major hotel zones.

Miami International Airport runs an accessibility program called myMIAccess. MIA is the first US airport to install wheelchair charging stations airport-wide, with ten of them placed across the terminals. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard is available throughout the airport for travelers whose disability is not visible: autism, anxiety, hearing loss, or PTSD.

Multi-sensory rooms are open daily 6:00 to 22:00, located post-security in Concourse D and at the H-J connector, for travelers with cognitive and developmental disabilities. The MIAair Dress Rehearsal Program lets travelers with disabilities practice the security and boarding flow before their real trip. Aira remote visual-interpreting service is offered free of charge to blind and low-vision passengers via the Aira mobile app.

Miami-Dade Transit runs three reduced-fare programs that matter for disabled visitors and seniors. The Discount-Fare EASY Card lets people with disabilities ride Metrobus and Metrorail at the discount rate; eligibility needs a Florida-licensed physician certification. Senior citizens and Social Security beneficiaries ride free with the Golden Passport; veterans with low income or service-connected disability ride free with the Patriot Passport.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens admits any visitor identifying as disabled, plus one accompanying caregiver, with complimentary admission. PAMM does not charge for a paid personal care attendant accompanying a disabled visitor. The full table of venue discounts, with eligibility and how to claim each one, is on the Miami disability-discounts page below.

Florida residents qualify for a permanent free Disabled Person Parking Permit valid for four years; short-term permits cover up to six months for a $15 fee. Out-of-state visitors should bring their home-state placard and use it in Florida disabled spaces; reciprocity is standard practice at venue and downtown lots.

If you have one day, anchor it at Vizcaya (free admission for a disabled visitor and one companion) and PAMM (PCA admitted free; free wheelchair loans at the visitor services desk).

If you have two, add Frost Science across the plaza from PAMM, or drive south to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden or Zoo Miami for a step-free outdoor day. Miami Beach is a separate trip on its own day; the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive is the starting point.