“New York urgently needs vehicles that are both electric and fully wheelchair accessible – and drivers need help paying for these new vehicles. Currently, only a mere 4% of the nearly 100,000 FHVs in New York City can accommodate wheelchairs – meaning that people with disabilities typically experience longer waits for a ride and difficulty booking a ride at all through the MTA’s Access-A-Ride service, which contracts with Uber, yellow taxis, and other FHV companies.
“Moreover, in the ‘gig’ economy business model of this industry, drivers are stuck with paying for all maintenance and new vehicle costs, and an unfunded mandate to buy new electric cars would push them deeper into poverty. The TLC must put out a request for information and competitive proposals to the auto industry, and actively work with automakers to develop wheelchair accessible models that are fully electric and can rapidly be brought to market.
“In addition, New York State must provide significant subsidies to FHV drivers to incentivize and ensure they can afford to purchase and operate these accessible EV models without entering into debilitating personal debt.”
– Justin Wood, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
Source: City Limits
