Improving Livery Car Service for Passengers with Disabilities
Livery cars and black cabs-collectively known as for-hire vehicles, or FHVs-are a critical component of New York City's transportation system, particularly in the outer boroughs where residents often rely on these services to compensate for poor mass transit connections. Yet, with only a tiny number of wheelchair-accessible for-hire vehicles on the road, it is almost impossible for people with disabilities to make use of FHV service.
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) currently has a rule, called Rule 6-07(f), which says that FHV companies have to provide equivalent service for customers in wheelchairs. Last year, I put out a report which showed that, in reality, only 4 percent of livery car companies, and no black car companies, could provide a wheelchair accessible car at an equivalent price and in a reasonable time frame.
The truth is that Rule 6-07(f) is unenforceable and impossible to comply with. It is completely out of touch with the reality of how the FHV industry works, and it creates impossible demands for livery companies. There are very few accessible vehicles available and it is simply impossible for livery companies to get them to the customers who need them on a reliable basis.
I have been working with disability advocates and leaders in the livery car industry to develop a real solution to this problem. Rather than focus on enforcement of a useless rule, we need to get all the stakeholders to the table and come up with a system that works for everyone.
Just as there is a "Dial 6" and a "Dial 7" livery service, there could be a "Dial 8" for riders who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. This kind of dispatch system would allow FHV companies to join together and share the responsibility of providing accessible service.
This proposal is quite different than the TLC's recent announcement about its plan to re-launch a central dispatch system incorporating both yellow and for-hire taxis. Yellow cabs and FHVs are apples and oranges. They are very different industries and they should not be lumped into the same central dispatch program. I have been a strong advocate for making New York City's yellow taxicab fleet 100%-accessible, a goal that I believe is achievable within a few short years. The solution for FHVs will naturally be a different one-but I am glad to report that the FHV industry has been an enthusiastic partner in developing such a solution.
On February 3rd, I was proud to be a featured speaker at the first annual convention of the Livery Roundtable, an industry association for livery car owners. I discussed my work to make New York's taxis and FHVs more accessible, and I was pleased at the obvious enthusiasm in the industry for improving accessible service. As we work to make mass transit and yellow cabs more accessible, it is important that livery car passengers are not left behind.
District Office of Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner
315 East 65th Street New York, NY 10065
T: (212) 860-4906 F: (917) 432-2983
Hours: M-F 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Roosevelt Island Hours: Every Thursday, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
(At the RIOC offices, 591 Main Street)
Email me: KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us
Visit my website: www.MicahKellner.com