Huge Strides Made In The Fight For Accessibility
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, I am proud to have been a part of several giant steps taken towards correcting this injustice.
On January 3rd, Governor Cuomo signed my legislation (A.966-B/S.4813) that provides a $10,000 tax credit for taxi and livery companies to upgrade to or purchase vehicles that are accessible for people with disabilities. The credit will act as an incentive for taxi and livery owners to begin purchasing accessible vehicles. Now, the industry can no longer use a financial excuse for not having these vehicles in their fleets.
Additionally, Governor Cuomo announced an agreement on a new taxi and livery plan last month. This plan 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 this agreement contains many of the components of my Access-for-All Taxi and Livery Plan (A4ATL) which I released in August. The Assembly has already passed this new plan. Once the Senate follows our lead, the plan will be sent to the Governor for his signature and become law.
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. The City will also be required to provide grants of up to $15,000 to further incentivize the retrofitting or purchase of accessible vehicles.
Also, 2,000 new accessible yellow taxi medallions will be sold. 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 approved by the State Department of Transportation as well as Federal Judge George B. Daniels.
On December 23rd, Judge Daniels handed down his decision in the federal lawsuit Noel v. TLC, in which the plaintiffs contended that the TLC failed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for wheelchair users. The Plaintiffs were joined in the lawsuit by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after I initiated their investigation last March.
This landmark decision stated that the TLC has been in violation of the ADA and must develop a court-approved plan that gives wheelchair users access to taxi and livery service. Until this plan is produced, all taxi medallions and livery permits sold must be for wheelchair accessible vehicles only. Now, the city will not be allowed to short change New Yorkers with disabilities in order to rush the sale of yellow medallions or livery street hail permits.
Though these were three huge victories, the fight for accessibility in New York City's taxi and livery fleets is far from over. I will continue to work with Governor Cuomo and my colleagues in the Legislature to find innovative ways to ensure that all New Yorkers, including those with disabilities, have the ability to hail a cab.