The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) announced in June that more than 50% of the city’s active taxi fleet is now wheelchair accessible – a goal the City has been pursuing for more than 10 years, following a 2013 legal settlement. As of June 5, according to TLC data, 5,140 cabs – roughly 51% of the active fleet – were wheelchair accessible. That does not include the roughly 3,600 taxi medallions “in storage” – which are owned but are not currently being used for regular trips.
“Balancing our obligations to New Yorkers who deserve equal access with a medallion industry severely impacted by market disruptions and the pandemic has been a narrow road to navigate, but we’re getting it done,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
“Accessibility isn’t just nice-to-have,” added Deputy Mayor for Operations, Jeff Roth. “It is the difference between accessing a job or a doctor’s appointment and the alternative.”
“The accessibility milestone we celebrate today is something no large city in the United States has achieved until now, and that’s also true for most cities in the world,” said TLC Chair David Do. “It’s been a long journey getting here… Our work is far from over as we continue expanding accessibility even more.”
When the TLC first agreed to transition half of its taxi medallion fleet to wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) in late-2013, there were only 213 WAVs in operation. After rapid initial progress, the transition was delayed by complicating factors, including the Medallion Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the high cost of converting vehicles to WAVs, TLC sought more time to convert the fleet, but last August, the federal judge presiding over the case ordered that all new taxi hack-ups be wheelchair accessible until the 50% mark is reached. In response, the TLC restructured its Taxi Improvement Fund (TIF), which helps pay for WAV conversions, and recently launched a $5 million pilot program to help small medallion owners bear the expense of transitioning to a WAV.
With more than 7,500 WAV for-hire vehicles, the TLC’s fleet is the most accessible in the nation, with 90% of wait times being 10 minutes or less.
“In a time when things seem to be rolling backwards, finally something to celebrate!” said Joe Rappaport, executive director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID). “There’s more work to do… [but] in the meantime, we applaud the TLC and all those who have worked to get us to this extraordinary milestone.”
Sources: NYC TLC, Yahoo! News
