There has been a marked increase in complaints from disabled passengers at public meetings, who claim some of the drivers in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA’s) Access-A-Ride program are not properly trained to help people with disabilities, some don’t speak English, and the vehicles dispatched often do not have the proper seatbelts for wheelchairs. They blame the fact that the service is now run largely by third-party vendors.
Over the past six years, the agency has gradually shifted oversight of the service to private brokers that dispatch for-hire vehicles or taxis to pick up riders, rather than the MTA’s blue-and-white paratransit buses. Officials say this has allowed the agency to manage a boom in ridership but acknowledge the change has led to an increase in complaints. Roughly two-thirds of Access-A-Ride trips are dispatched through third-party brokers, MTA data shows. Meanwhile, complaints have quadrupled over the past three years.
The MTA’s shift to broker services saved the agency over $100 million in 2022, according to an audit by the state comptroller. It also allows the MTA to outsource most of the program’s driver training and vehicle inspection to NYC’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC). The TLC trains and tests drivers on assisting disabled passengers, and drivers must pass the tests again when they renew their license every three years. The TLC inspects paratransit vehicles every two years.
The MTA also conducts Access-A-Ride driver training, which can be done virtually.
Source: Gothamist
