​Did you know that taxis and other vehicles providing rideshare services (Uber, Lyft, etc.) are required to be inspected at either the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Station, the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility, or at the West Drive Patient Entrance, if the passenger is a patient?

If a driver, cyclist or pedestrian without a valid NIH ID or visitor badge enters the enclave of NIH without being properly identified and granted access, they have just committed a breach of security (45 CFR 3.41 unauthorized trespass, violation of closure and/or limits to entry). The NIH Police will immediately respond, locate, identify and issue the person or persons involved a criminal citation for unauthorized trespass with a $150 fine. In the recent months, the NIH main campus has experienced several security breaches involving vehicles providing rideshare services.

The following are helpful tips to ensure you enter the campus lawfully and arrive at your destination on campus in a timely manner:

• Follow all instructions of security personnel at the entry gates.
• If driving onto campus, ensure all occupants of the vehicle have their ID ready as they approach the access gate.
• If one or more occupants of the vehicle do not have an NIH ID and their name is not on an access list for a special event, they will be denied access. The security personnel will instruct the driver to make a U-turn and give instructions to go to one of the inspection centers on campus.
• If you do not have time for your taxi or rideshare service to go through one of the inspection centers, ask to be dropped off at any employee entry gate. Ensure that you instruct the driver to pull over in a safe location outside the entry gate.
• If you are being picked up by a taxi or rideshare service, inform them that they need to go through the Gateway inspection or the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Fenter. Both are located off of Rockville Pike. You also have the option of meeting at the Metro kiss and ride or another location outside the perimeter fence.