NEW YORK CITY'S WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE TAXI SERVICE REACHES SIX-MONTH MARK
Users Say Accessible Dispatch Significantly Improving Their Lives
For Joseph Genera, finding a wheelchair-accessible taxicab in New York City has never been easier.
Genera, 52, is a Guilford, Connecticut resident who frequently travels to Manhattan where he is pursuing an acting career in TV and film. Genera, who has used wheelchairs for three decades, says the launch of Accessible Dispatch, New York City's new way to book on-demand wheelchair-accessible taxis, allows him to attend spur-of-the-moment auditions in New York City while avoiding expensive parking and long driving commutes into the city.
"Accessible Dispatch gives me freedom and flexibility," said Genera. "On the days where I have multiple appointments, I wouldn't be able to do this if I was still driving into and around New York."
Launched by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) just six months ago, Accessible Dispatch allows users to order an accessible cab by mobile app, phone, online, or texting. Wait times from the minute an order is made to the moment a taxi arrives at the pick-up are now averaging 14 minutes, a speedy response considering just 233 wheelchair-accessible taxicabs exist in New York City's fleet of 13,000 yellow cabs. February wait times were averaging even closer to 12 minutes from the time an order was made to the time the cab arrived on scene.
A pilot program administered by the TLC two years ago yielded an average of eight dispatched trips per day. In February alone, Accessible Dispatch averaged 49 trips per day, a 700 percent increase. Ridership has been as high as 95 trips in a single day, and is steadily on the increase.
"The success of this program has been incredibly satisfying for us," said TLC Commissioner David Yassky. "This is a service for persons with disabilities that never before existed, and today it is changing people's lives for the better. I'd like to say thank you to all those who put their faith in this program and who have embraced the service and incorporated it into their lives, because it was they who inspired us."
Passengers pay the standard metered fare from point of pick-up to their destination. Accessible Dispatch pays for the "deadhead" mileage portion of driver trips en route to pick-ups through a fee paid by all New York City taxi medallion owners.
"I've used the accessible dispatch program and found it reliable and efficient," said New Yorker Herb Levine, a regular user of the program. "It makes me feel like a free person allowing me to go anywhere in the City when I want to."
The service is a project of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and is operated by its chosen contractor Metro Taxi, a Connecticut transportation company that uses its state-of-the-art operations center in West Haven to remotely dispatch the taxis located in Manhattan.
"Our passengers tell us Accessible Dispatch has changed their lives for the better," said William Scalzi, President of Metro Taxi. "Accessible Dispatch can handle more users so we want to keep getting the word out about this amazingly responsive and beneficial service."
About Accessible Dispatch: Accessible Dispatch allows passengers to book a taxi for any trip originating in Manhattan and ending anywhere in the five boroughs, Westchester and Nassau Counties, and the three regional airports. The service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, with no advance reservations necessary. Accessible Dispatch can be hailed five different ways: (1) via the free mobile app, "Wheels on Wheels" (WOWTaxi) available at the iTunes store; (2) by calling 311; (3) by phoning the dispatch center directly at (646) 599-9999; (4) by texting a request to (646) 400-0789; or (5) by ordering online at www.accessibledispatch.com.
TLC was created in 1971, and is the agency responsible for the regulation and licensing of almost 200,000 yellow medallion taxicabs and for-hire vehicles, their drivers, and the businesses that operate and support their industries. It is recognized as the largest and most active taxi and for-hire vehicle regulatory body in the United States.
To find out more about the TLC, or to review its rules, regulations, and procedures, we encourage you to visit our official website at www.nyc.gov/taxi or call 311 in New York City, or 212-NEW-YORK from outside of New York City.