New York is failing to meet its target for wheelchair access for taxis, says Suit

Advocates for New Yorkers with disabilities have sued taxi supervisors for failing to comply with a legal settlement that required half of the city's licensed taxis to be wheelchair accessible.

The lawsuit states that taxi supervisors have demonstrated that they have “no intention to even attempt” to achieve the goal.

On Wednesday, the group of lawyers, including four nonprofits, filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, urging a judge to order the city to comply with the demand. Only 42 percent of active taxis accommodate wheelchair users.

“It's so disheartening that the city won't have more than 50 percent service,” said Dan Brown, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. “The fact that they did not achieve the goal is really more than disappointing and sad.”

Jason Kersten, spokesman for the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission, said in a statement that the commission “is committed to accessibility.”

“If you include our entire fleet, we now have almost three times as many accessible vehicles as we did five years ago,” said Mr Kersten. “We continue to work to make our fleet even more accessible.”

In their lawsuit, the attorneys argued that the lack of accessible taxis makes it more difficult for some people to access health care appointments, potential jobs and social outings. That limits their ability to be free and active members of the community, according to the complaint.

In late 2013, the Taxi and Limousine Commission agreed to settle a major class action lawsuit and adopt rules requiring half of the city's more than 13,000 yellow cabs to be wheelchair accessible within six years. The deal required that half of all new medallion taxis put into service in a given year be designated for wheelchairs until the goal of 50 percent of the city's fleet was reached.

At the time, George Daniels, the federal judge now being asked to enforce the settlement, called the deal “one of the most significant acts of containment since Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers,” according to the complaint filed Wednesday.

When the settlement was filed, only 1.8 percent of the fleet was wheelchair accessible, according to the new lawsuit.

The settlement created better lives for thousands of people, the complaint said. “The accessible yellow cabs now represent the best of New York City and are a model for the rest of the country,” the report said.

But the plaintiffs also argued that the city's progress “falls far short of their court-mandated commitment, let alone their moral obligations.”

According to the complaint, taxi regulators initially agreed to make 50 percent of the fleet accessible by 2020 and were then granted an extension until 2023. That extension was granted after transportation officials argued that the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of ride-sharing apps of rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft had transformed the taxi industry.

According to the lawsuit, the attorneys offered a final extension late last year. Instead, city officials indicated they wanted “to be released from the requirements of the settlement,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs said that while rapid growth has caused ride-sharing to eclipse the taxi industry, street hailing and ride-sharing are not interchangeable, in part because not all people with disabilities use ride-sharing apps have or can use on smartphones.