Taxi Agreement Is Something We Can All Hail
Over the past several years I have been fighting for equality and accessibility in New York City's taxi and livery fleets. The lack of a sufficient number of accessible vehicles has left thousands of New Yorkers stranded on the curb. After months of hard work, the State has now taken a giant step towards correcting this injustice.
This week, Governor Cuomo announced an agreement on a new taxi plan which will permit liveries to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs and increase the number of accessible vehicles on the road. I am proud that the agreement contains many of the components of my Access-for-All Taxi and Livery Plan (A4ATL) which I released in August. The Legislature must now pass this agreement when we return to Albany in January.
Under the livery portion of the agreement, over the next three years the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will be authorized to issue up to 18,000 new livery licenses for street hails in the outer boroughs and above 96th Street in Manhattan. Twenty percent of these new licenses will be reserved for wheelchair accessible vehicles. Also, the City will be required to provide grants of up to $15,000 to incentivize the retrofitting or purchase of these accessible vehicles.
Additionally, 2,000 new yellow taxi medallions will be sold, all of which will be for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Once the plan is enacted into law, an initial 400 medallions will be sold. The remaining 1,600 will be sold once the TLC develops a long-term plan to make the entire fleet accessible. This plan must be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and approved by the State Department of Transportation.
I applaud Governor Cuomo for recognizing that accessibility is a civil right. When the legislature reconvenes in January, I will continue to work tirelessly with my colleagues to ensure that the plan is passed expeditiously so that people with disabilities have meaningful access to transportation.
Micah Kellner