Bloomberg challenges a broad decision mandating 'meaningful' taxi service for the disabled

By Dana Rubinstein from Capital New York

On Dec. 30, a little more than a week after Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced an agreement to bring taxi service to the outer boroughs while making taxis and livery cars more accessible to the disabled, New York City quietly filed notice that it would appeal a federal court decision that imposed an even more stringent requirement for disability access.

On Dec. 23, U.S. District Judge George Daniels ruled that the city, because it regulates the taxi industry and does not require medallion owners to provide "meaningful" access to the wheelchair-bound, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

As part of the decision, the judge called for “immediate and full compliance” with the A.D.A.

"The [Taxi and Limousine Commission] must propose a comprehensive plan to provide meaningful access to taxicab service for disabled wheelchair bound passengers," wrote Daniels. "Such a plan must include targeted goals and standards, as well as anticipated measurable results. Until such a plan is proposed and approved by this Court, all new taxi medallions sold or new street-hail livery licenses or permits issued by the TLC must be for wheelchair accessible vehicles."

In other words, New York City cannot sell any non-accessible outer-borough taxi permits until the judge says so.

Read complete article HERE.

City’s Billion Dollar Taxi Plan Gets Green Light From Governor

By Kathleen Horan from WNYC News Blog

The major change is accessibility.

Cuomo announced on Tuesday a compromise was reached expanding taxi service in Upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs, by allowing livery cabs to pick up street hails, and finally meeting his concerns about ensuring wheelchair accessibility.

Under the new agreement, 2,000 yellow medallions will be auctioned and all must be wheelchair accessible.

The bill that passed earlier this year would have made available 1,500 medallions available with only 500 set aside as accessible.

"No one thought we'd get this home," the mayor at the press conference via telephone. "We never gave up and we never stopped making the case."

The legislation authorizing the sale of the medallions, which will generate $1 billion in revenue for the city, has been held up for weeks by Cuomo, who said the bill did not provide enough accessible cabs, and would be shot down in court.

The city is currently awaiting a federal court decision that alleges the Taxi and Limousine Commission discriminates against people in wheelchairs, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Currently, only about 2 percent out of the city’s fleet of more than 13,000 yellow cabs are accessible.

To address this, Tuesday’s agreement requires the city to propose a long range accessibility plan. The TLC must consult with disability groups and other stakeholders before submitting a Disabled Accessibility Plan. The proposal will then be open for public comment and be sent to the City Council, as well as the State Department of Transportation for approval.

As for permits for outer borough livery cabs, 18,000 permits will be made available over the next three years, and 20 percent of those cabs must be accessible. The city's original plan had called for 30,000 permits.

The city will be required to provide grants as an incentive, of up to $15,000, to help pay for the retrofitting of livery vehicles or to purchase new accessible cars.

The livery permits will cost $1500 to start, but then immediately become transferable medallions, something many livery drivers had pushed for.

Yellow medallion fleet owners have led industry opposition.

They’ve argued that allowing outer borough street hails will devalue their medallions. “[The plan] would also threaten the short and long term viability of the medallion asset that has provided economic opportunities for thousands.” Ron Sherman, president of T=the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, said in a statement. “We hope this new bill has the teeth to protect our industry and we will cooperate with the Governor to achieve this goal.”

TLC Commissioner David Yassky said the agreement "will bring first rate, legal taxi service to all five boroughs." He also attempted to avoid some questions that doubted the mayor’s record on promoting accessible taxi service

Disabled groups, including the Taxis for All Campaign applauded the announcement, happy to be the focus of the deal hammered out by the various political camps.

Chair Edith Prentiss said “This deal will mean that people who are disabled will have the same option as every other New Yorker: the ability to travel spontaneously, quickly and easily when they are going to their jobs, to school or just out for a night on the town.”

The agreement will be introduced as a chapter amendment in the next session legislature in 2012.

Article HERE.

Accessible Taxis Would Lead To Injuries, Lawsuits, Mayor Says

By Shaun Heasley from disabilityscoop

Requiring all cabs to be wheelchair accessible would be dangerous and uncomfortable and lead to fewer people riding in taxis, the mayor of New York City said.

In a radio interview on Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that forcing all cabs to be accessible poses a number of problems. Specifically, he said the vehicles are more expensive, they don’t ride as smoothly as regular cabs and they include a large, inconvenient gap between the passengers and driver.

“The suspension is a lot worse and it’s harder to get up to pay the cab driver and get in and out and that sort of thing,” Bloomberg said. “Fewer people may use cabs because the suspension is worse. I think you’re going to see (law)suits about people getting up trying to get across the divide — there’s so much more space between the backseat and the divider. I think you’re going to see people getting hurt.”

The comments come as New York City faces a lawsuit over its lack of accessible cabs. Currently, just 232 of the city’s 13,237 cabs accommodate wheelchairs.

Earlier this year, disability advocates sued seeking to force the city to make all cabs accessible. And, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney recently said he supports the advocates’ efforts, arguing that non-accessible taxis are a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For his part, however, Bloomberg said that he believes wheelchair users should be able to access taxis that can accommodate them by calling for a ride, rather than hailing a taxi in the street.

“It’s always somebody who says, ‘oh, no, everything has to be handicapped accessible, or wheelchair accessible,’ but that’s not necessarily what the people that are in wheelchairs need,” the mayor said.

Article HERE.