Taxi medallion owners are required to make their vehicles wheelchair accessible by March 2025 due to a federal judge’s order. Owners and drivers are pushing back, citing high conversion costs and the need for more financial assistance from the city. The Taxi & Limousine Commission missed previous accessibility targets set in a decade-old lawsuit settlement, leading to the current deadline. The city has distributed funds to help with conversion costs, but drivers are asking for additional support to avoid financial hardship and stay in business. Advocates for people with disabilities emphasize the importance of accessible taxis and urge the city to fulfill its obligations under the settlement.
Taxi medallion owners in New York City are facing a new deadline to make their vehicles wheelchair accessible by next March. This comes after a federal judge’s order that all new yellow taxis must be wheelchair accessible. However, the conversion costs are proving to be a significant challenge for cabbies, potentially taking them off the road. At a recent Taxi & Limousine Commission hearing, drivers and industry workers expressed concerns about the financial burden of meeting the accessibility mandate.
The city had previously agreed in a 2013 settlement to have half of the city’s 13,587 medallion cabs wheelchair accessible by 2020. However, this target was not met, leading to an extension to 2023, which was also missed. In August, the federal judge ordered that half of all active taxis must be wheelchair accessible by March 31, 2025. This has put pressure on medallion owners to make the necessary conversions within the specified timeline.
Medallion owners and advocates for taxi drivers are calling on the city to provide more financial assistance for the conversion of non-accessible vehicles. They are also urging for the continuation of hardship extensions that allow taxis to remain on the road beyond seven years as long as they pass all inspections. Without these extensions or additional funding, cabbies may face financial challenges, with estimates of up to $80,000 to buy and convert new wheelchair accessible vehicles.
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance has raised concerns about the financial impact on drivers and the potential for bankruptcies. They argue that the city needs to provide more support to help drivers comply with the accessibility mandate. The Taxi & Limousine Commission has acknowledged the challenges faced by drivers and is exploring ways to offer more upfront funding from the Taxicab Improvement Fund to assist with conversion costs.
Despite the financial concerns, medallion owners and taxi drivers are not opposed to making more taxis wheelchair accessible. Advocates for New Yorkers with disabilities stress the importance of fulfilling the settlement agreement to improve accessibility for all residents. They suggest that if the city cannot allocate enough funds from the Taxicab Improvement Fund, alternative sources of funding should be explored to meet the accessibility requirements.
The federal judge’s ruling in August emphasized the city’s obligation to fulfill its promises regarding taxi accessibility. The city and the Taxi & Limousine Commission are now working to address the financial challenges faced by medallion owners and drivers in meeting the wheelchair accessibility mandate. Efforts are being made to provide additional support and funding to ensure that taxis are accessible to all individuals, in line with the requirements set by the court.
Source: TheCity.NYC
