THE ASSEMBLY

STATE OF NEW YORK COMMITTEES

ALBANY Banks
Cities
Consumer Affairs and Protection
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
Racing and Wagering
Steering
MICAH Z. KELLNER
65th Assembly District

Kellner Bill to Make Taxis Disabled Accessible Passes

Assembly
Legislation Will Require All NYC Taxicabs
to Be Accessible to Passengers with Disabilities Beginning 2014

Legislation sponsored by Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner (D-Upper East Side,

Yorkville, Roosevelt Island) mandating a fully-accessible New York City taxi fleet passed the
state Assembly today. The bill (A. 4406) requires that after October 1, 2014, all new taxicabs
put into service in New York City must be accessible to riders with disabilities.

“Today is a victory for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have been left behind
for too long,” Assembly Member Kellner said. “Hailing a cab is an iconic New York experience,
but people with disabilities have been locked out of this crucial mode of transportation. My
legislation will remedy this injustice.”

Under the legislation, all new taxis must be wheelchair-accessible for the transport of
wheelchairs and scooters, use consistent internal design, have enough space to accommodate a
service animal, make as much noise as a conventional gasoline-powered car so that they can be
heard by the vision-impaired, include Braille signage and text in large-sized fonts, and be
equipped with an assistive listening system so that riders with hearing aids can communicate
with the driver. Additionally, the legislation does not require any medallion owner to take a
vehicle already in service off the road; rather it applies to new vehicles being placed into service
for the first time.

An estimated 60,000 wheelchair users, 300,000 individuals with low-vision or who are
blind, and almost one million people who have hearing loss or are deaf, live in New York City.
Yet only 231 of the 13,237 medallion yellow cabs (less than 2%) are wheelchair-accessible or
provide the other appropriate features or accommodations to people with disabilities.

“Assemblyman Kellner’s bill to make all new taxis accessible will dramatically expand
travel options for those with mobility impairments and make them more employable,” said Jim
Wasserman of United Spinal, a national disability rights and veterans service organization
founded in 1946 that provides service to thousands of members across the United States. “If taxis
were accessible “special transportation” costs, such as the $470 million Access a Ride paratransit
program in NYC, required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), would be
substantially reduced. People with disabilities would choose accessible taxis for spontaneous

▫ 834 Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248  (518) 455-5676, FAX (518) 455-5282
▫ 315 East 65 Street, New York, NY 10065  (212) 860-4906, FAX (917) 432-2983
E-mail: KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us
travel, rather than use an advanced reservation system. Additionally, transit systems could save
even more by using privately operated taxis in their ADA paratransit programs.”

“I’m very excited that the Assembly has passed a pan-disability accessible taxi bill, that
includes not just wheelchair accessibility but includes space for service animals, braille, large
print and assistive listening devices for those with sensory disabilities,” said Edith Prentiss, Chair
of the Taxis for All campaign. “I’m particularly glad to see the inclusion of requirement for
hybrid vehicles which are a potential hazard for pedestrians to make as much noise as a
conventional gasoline-powered car.”

“I wish to applaud the Assembly and especially Assembly Member Kellner for passage
of this important legislation,” said Marvin Wasserman, Executive Director of the Brooklyn
Center for Independence of the Disabled. “At a time when there are challenges in both Federal
Court as well as the Department of Justice to the failure to uphold the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in regard to providing needed taxi
service for persons with disabilities, we appreciate the leadership taken by the Assembly in
righting this wrong.”

“The Assembly has shown that they stand with New Yorkers with disabilities by passing
such a comprehensive bill that helps not only wheelchair users, but also the visually and hearing
impaired,” Kellner continued. “I would hope the City Council will take their cue from us. Surely,
with a 40 sponsor, veto-proof majority, they can pass legislation that merely makes taxis
wheelchair accessible.”

Legislation has been introduced in the City Council by G. Oliver Koppell which
mandates that any new taxi design approved by the TLC must be wheelchair accessible.

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