Directs the department of motor vehicles to create a plan to increase the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles in New York state outside of the city…

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic8
• Republican4

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Siela Bynoe says this is needed

Outside of New York City, which is subject to a Federal Court Order in Taxis For All Campaign v. Taxi and Limousine Commission requiring the City to ensure 50% of their taxis are wheelchair accessible vehicles, there are no uniform Statewide regulations either defining a wheelchair accessible vehicle, or an outline of substantive information on the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles which are available across the State and what would be necessary to provide equal transportation access to persons who make use of a wheelchair or mobility aid. For example, a person who uses a wheelchair could get a taxi from JFK Airport to go to Nassau County, but then while in Nassau County, such an individual is unable to access a wheelchair accessible vehicle to return to JFK Airport. This bill seeks to direct the New York State Commissioner of the Depart- ment of Motor Vehicles to create a plan to increase the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles in every county of the State outside the City of New York. Each county shall provide the department with relevant data necessary to complete such plan. The information collected and compiled into this plan will include: the number of for-hire operators within each county; the size of the fleet of each transportation network company or for-hire operator; the number of wheelchair accessible vehi- cles in each fleet; and any county policies or laws governing the avail- ability or licensing of wheelchair accessible vehicles. Such plan would be made available to all stakeholders and the public through a public facing dashboard available on the department's website. Upon completion of the plan, the department, in consultation with the office for people with developmental disabilities and the department of health, shall assess county-level data and establish benchmarks based on United States census bureau American community survey data on ambulatory disabilities. Such benchmarks are to be included in the plan, along with recommenda- tions for grant programs and tax incentives, to encourage engagement in an effort to provide transportation options to expand the availability of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The plan will also include identifi- cation of pre-existing fiscal resources which are available to transpor- tation network companies, other for-hire entities, and individuals who possess qualifying wheelchair accessible vehicles. This bill ensures that if the department were to determine that a county lacks adequate resources to meet the needs of these individuals, the department shall remedy this by creating a plan to meet the benchmarks established in this law, in consultation with: the county or any other relevant governmental entities, transportation network companies, other for-hire entities, and individuals who possess qualifying wheelchair accessible vehicles. The initial findings, along with the subsequent plan to meet these benchmarks, will be published on the department's website. Through this law, the State would have the knowledge and data to better provide services to individuals who use a wheelchair or mobil- ity aid by promoting the use of wheelchair accessible vehicles in muni- cipalities across the State.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.