Disability advocates and wheelchair users in New York City who book for-hire vehicles (FHVs) through Access-a-Ride’s E-Hail pilot have expressed concerns over the Green Rides initiative, which is forcing the transition of the city’s entire app-hail fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, fearing wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) will be squeezed out in the process. The E-Hail pilot allows users to order an app-hail cars on-demand, instead of pre-arranging a ride.
Unlike yellow taxis, for-hire vehicles do not currently receive a conversion fee or maintenance payments from the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC). App-hail WAV drivers are paid 30% more per mile, plus another $180 for 50 trips a week of any kind. Uber pays an additional $12 per WAV-requested trip. Lyft says 8% of the new vehicles onboarded with the app in 2023 were WAVs.
“TLC and New York City has the opportunity to use its market power and submit proposals to car manufacturers with specs about what they want,” said attorney, Christoper Schuyler. “In fact, they’ve done that in the past.”
The TLC responded, stating that only electric WAVs will be sold by 2035, as New York state phases out the sale of gas-powered vehicles.
Source: NY1
