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Frequently Asked Questions
The basics
Other cities
Dispatch proposal and other New York City questions
Legal status
Wheelchair travel from the airports
Note: Accessibility refers to accommodation for wheelchair and electric scooter users. However, we are using the term “wheelchair users”
as short-hand to save space.
The basics
Who would benefit from accessible taxis?
Census data from 2000 shows that about 60,000 New Yorkers use wheelchairs or electric scooters. Of course, that number does not include visitors (or potential visitors) or others -- like family members of wheelchair users -- who would benefit from accessible taxis. Approximately 2.7 million Americans who are 15 years old or more use a wheelchair, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2002.Can't wheelchair and electric-scooter users just take buses or Access-A-Ride (paratransit)? Or even the subway?
Because we deserve the same choices as anyone else!
Taxis are an integral part of New York City's transportation system, reducing the need for private vehicles and making it easier to travel to out-of-the-way places, get around quickly or travel in bad weather.
Buses do not go everyplace, run at all times and are often slow or infrequent; Access-A-Ride is unreliable, requires a reservation a day or more in advance and not everyone qualifies. While some subway stations are accessible, elevators often fail and there is also hard-to-navigate gaps between platform and subway car.Why can't wheelchair users just put their chairs in the trunk of a cab?
Because some wheelchair users cannot transfer out of their wheelchairs into a cab. And some wheelchairs do not fold and/or weigh hundreds of pounds.
Some wheelchair users can use New York City's more than 13,000 inaccessible taxis because they can transfer (move from chair to taxi) and also have a lightweight, foldable wheelchair that can go into the trunk. But an accessible taxi would eliminate the need for this often-difficult transfer and allow all wheelchair and electric scooters to have access, not just some.What happens now when a wheelchair user needs a taxi at the airport or at another location?
They are out of luck, unless one of the few accessible cabs is around. See what Vancouver, B.C. Mayor Sam Sullivan says about his experience in New York City in an audio on his city's website.
However, we have prepared information below to help you if you need transportation at the airport and use a wheelchair.What do you mean by an accessible taxi?
An accessible taxi allows wheelchair and electric-scooter users to get in and out of the vehicles while remaining in their chairs. The taxis do not rely on a lift, however; they instead use a manual, non-electric ramp.
There also must be adequate turning space, headroom and a safe place for the wheelchair to be secured while the taxi is moving.So how are taxis made accessible for wheelchairs?
There are two routes. (1) After rolling off the production line, a minivan is either converted into an accessible vehicle by a commercial converter, or; (2) A vehicle is“purpose-built”
as an accessible vehicle. This means it is specially designed and built to be accessible.
Currently, most accessible cabs in the U.S. are converted minivans. There are several European cabs that are purpose-built, and there is an American company, Standard Taxi), that will soon offer a purpose-built accessible cab.Do you want livery cabs to be accessible as well?
Yes. The Taxi & Limousine Commission is supposed to guarantee“equivalent service”
already, so that wheelchair users calling for a livery vehicle get a ride as fast as non-wheelchair callers are served. But this just doesn't happen, in large part because the TLC has not enforced its own rules.
Other cities
What are other cities doing to make taxi service accessible?
In London, every taxi is accessible, a requirement that became law in 1988 – about two decades ago. Accessible taxis are widely available in many European cities. Many accessible taxis are available in other U.S. cities as well.
Dispatch proposal and other New York City questions
If London's taxis became accessible so long ago, what's taking New York City so long? Why has New York City lagged behind other cities in the U.S.?
It's a question of political will. Unfortunately, our leading public officials have bent to the desires of the taxi industry, which has resisted accessibility.What reasons does the taxi industry give for keeping wheelchair users at the curb?
Medallion (taxi license) holders claim that accessible taxis won't hold up on New York City streets, even though the vehicles are used in Chicago, San Francisco and other big cities with difficult terrains or lousy weather.
But public officials and industry representatives have resisted even a simple proposal for a gradual transition to accessible taxis.
That way, whether or not current accessible vehicles are currently good enough, manufacturers would have time to improve their vehicles. It's the same theory that the U.S. government uses when it passes laws to raise gas mileage or safety standards: If forced to meet higher standards, manufacturers will meet them.Why not use a
“central dispatch”
system, where wheelchair users would call in for a taxi?
Many other cities have this kind of call-in system, but that is because they allow“radio”
calls as part of their regular taxi service.
New York City has a special class of taxi --“yellow taxi service”
-- that relies exclusively on street hails. You cannot call in to get this yellow taxi service.
Instead, to use a yellow cab in many parts of the Manhattan business district, at the airports and in some other neighborhoods, all you have to do is stick out your hand and chances are you'll get a cab in a minute or two. This kind of service was instituted several decades ago, in part to prevent drivers from turning on their“radio”
signs as a way of discriminating against people they did not want to pick up.
A dispatch system would impose a two-tier system on wheelchair users, because only wheelchair users would have to call to get a cab. Beyond that, the service would be woefully inadequate.What kind of service would a dispatch service offer?
Under the Taxi & Limousine Commission's own proposal, 50 percent of wheelchair users would wait at least 40 minutes for a cab-and that's only if the program meets TLC standards. And the other 50 percent would wait between 40 and one hour for an accessible cab! Why would anyone put up with that?
Some dispatch advocates suggest that this would be a bridge to a fully accessible system, but without a commitment from the TLC for an accessible system, we consider it a“bridge to nowhere”
.Is it true that insurance costs more for accessible vehicles?
Opponents of accessible taxis say that insurance will cost more. But in surveys done by the City Council and the Taxis For All Campaign, insurance costs in other cities are the same for accessible taxis and non-accessible taxis. Insurance costs instead depend on the same thing that affects all automobile insurance: the record of the driver.
If there are unfair insurance charges, the State Insurance Department should investigate and make sure accessible-taxi operators aren't charged more.Couldn't the TLC just pass a regulation that all yellow taxis have to be wheelchair-accessible by a certain date or phase them in gradually like Intro. 378 would do?
Yes, but the TLC has resisted such a move. Mayor Bloomberg could also direct the TLC to do this.I see on your website you have news articles about Intro. 84 but it isn't up on your website as a bill. What happened?
Intro. 84 was an earlier bill, introduced by Council Member Margarita Lopez that also would have made the fleet accessible. In 2006, Council Member Oliver Koppell introduced a new bill that would make the taxi fleet accessible and green - less polluting -- over a period of years. It now has 26 Council sponsors.Are accessible taxis required by the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act)?
The ADA does not require taxis to be accessible. However, it does have requirements for an accessible cab so that wheelchair and electric-scooter users can safely use them.
Legal status
Are there other laws concerning accessibility?
The Human Rights Law of New York City requires equal accommodation for public facilities. The taxicab industry in our city is heavily regulated and clearly falls under this law.Didn't the TLC already say that all the taxis had to be wheelchair-accessible a few years ago?
Diane McGrath-McKechnie, the TLC's chairman at the time, did announce a plan to convert the fleet in 2000. But industry opposition killed the plan. McGrath-McKechnie still supports a full conversion of the fleet.
Wheelchair travel from the airports
I'm coming to New York City as a visitor and use a wheelchair. How do I get from the airport to my hotel?
Since there are only a few accessible taxis, don't depend on getting a cab unless you can transfer and your chair fits in a trunk. Otherwise, you must plan ahead.
The Taxis For All Campaign has strived to make the following information as accurate as possible but cannot take responsibility for changes or inaccuracies.
We strongly urge you to always call ahead and to make absolutely certain that the person taking your reservation understands that you need a fully accessible vehicle or that the person telling you about accessibility understands that you are using a wheelchair or electric scooter.
Here are a few options, as of March 2007:Supershuttle (JFK, LaGuardia, Newark-Liberty airports): Supershuttle, an airport-to-door (and back) service, offers some accessible vans. You must make a reservation -- for accessible vans and non-accessible vans alike -- at least 24 hours in advance and preferably before that. You may also go to their website, where there is a form to fill out that includes an accessible-vehicle option.
Phone: 800-258-3826
Web: SupershuttleAirTrain JFK (JFK Airport): The AirTrain is accessible, as are the stations it connects to at Jamaica (Long Island Rail Road and subway) and Howard Beach (subway). However, check to see if the station you will be traveling to once you get on the LIRR or subway system is accessible and if elevators are operating. (See below.) The AirTrain is $5 to the rail stations and free within the airport.
Phone: 877-JFK-AIRTRAIN (877-535-2478)
Web (MTA site): AirTrain JFK
Also (Port Authority site): Port Authority AirTrain
LIRR and subways: If you do take AirTrain JFK, check to see if the station you are traveling to on the Long Island Rail Road or subway system is accessible; many are not.
For travel from Jamaica or Howard Beach to other New York City or regional locations, contact:
LIRR (Jamaica):
Phone: 718-596-8585
Web: LIRR (Jamaica)
Subways (Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue / JFK Airport and Howard Beach stations)
Phone: 718-596-8585
Web: New York City Transit Authority
If you are traveling within Queens, several buses also leave from this station. See Queens ADA subway stationsAirTrain Newark (Newark Liberty International Airport): The AirTrain is accessible, as is the New Jersey Transit station it connects to, where you can take you into New York City and New Jersey locations. However, check to see if the station you are traveling to on New Jersey Transit is accessible; many are not. The AirTrain is $5.50 to the rail station and free within the airport.
Phone: 800-airride (800-247-7499)
Web: AirTrain Newark
New Jersey Transit: For travel from the Newark Airtrain station on New Jersey Transit to New York City or stations in New Jersey, contact:
Phone: 800-772-2222
Web: New Jersey TransitNew York City Transit buses: All buses are accessible, but service from the airports is on local routes only. One route, the M60, will take you from LaGuardia to Manhattan, but not to Midtown or the hotel district. Bus information and schedules to and from LaGuardia and JFK airports (all buses are accessible)
Visit New York City Transit service to the airports for more information.
Paratransit-Access-a-Ride: This is available only if you already are a registered paratransit user in another city.
Phone: Call 718-393-4999 or TTY 718-393-4259 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 and when you hear the recorded message press“1”
for English or“2”
for Spanish. Then press“1”
to be connected to the Customer Information Line.
On Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., representatives are available to answer your questions. You must book at least one day in advance.
Web: New York City Transit Paratransit Guide.
There also are other, more expensive or less reliable options, such as ambulette service and a service called“A Ride for All.”