TLC expands Accessible Dispatch Program from Manhattan to all five boroughs
The Accessible Dispatch Program that offers wheelchair-accessible cabs will operate in all five boroughs of Manhattan as of Wednesday, Sept. 21. The program, which was launched in 2012 by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), operated only in Manhattan until now, according to TLC documents. Rides can be requested over the phone, through the website, or through the Accessible Dispatch smartphone app.
The TLC agreed to expand the program citywide last fall. According to TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg, the commission had been “working for months” on the program and dealing with complexities due to “technology development, testing processes … and other activities.”
But some disabled advocates are concerned that the supply of wheelchair accessible cabs won’t meet demand.
“The chances of getting an accessible cab are like winning the lottery,” said Robert Schoenseld, a board member of Disabled in Action, a civil rights organization, in a phone interview. “There are never enough cabs available.”
According to Fromberg, every wheelchair accessible vehicle — roughly 2,500 — will participate in the citywide program. City records indicate that 1,708 yellow cabs and 731 green cabs are wheelchair accessible. That amounts to about 12% of all New York City taxis for a disabled population of around 800,000.
There are other alternatives available for the disabled, particularly Access-A-Ride. This system provides door-to-door service on paratransit vans to an average of 140,000 people. They complete around 27,000 trips every week throughout the city.
And for residents who’ve relied on taxis, the results have been mixed. Jean Ryan, who is also on the board of Disabled in Action, said in a phone interview there are times she has waited for “an hour and a half” for a cab to arrive.
“It’s not really advantageous to call for a cab if they are not going to show up for a long time, or never,” she said. “It remains to be seen if it [the expansion] actually works.”
The city’s goal, according to a report released this year by the mayor’s office, is to have 7,000 yellow taxis and 731 green taxis be wheelchair accessible by 2020. That would mean roughly half of all cabs.
The program brings benefits for the drivers as well. Those who participate in the program will receive an additional 50 cents per ride, plus compensation for travelling to the pick-up location, and for waiting for the passengers and assisting them into the vehicle. According to TLC data, an average fee for a half-mile travel time to the location is $5.00, plus an additional 50 cents per every minute they wait. The Taxicab Improvement Fund, created by the TLC to support medallion owners, will pay these fees.
