FHVreport2010

8/9/2019 FHVreport2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fhvreport2010 1/18

NOTFOR-HIRE

Assem b ly Mem b er Mic ah Z . K el lerwww.micahkel ler .com

How Non-Compliance by For-Hire Companies & Lack of Enforcement by the TLC are Failing Wheelchair Users.



Eecve Smmary 34

Backrd 57

Mehdy & Fds 814

Reccmedas 1517

Table o Contents

Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner

315 East 65th Street

New York, NY 10065

Tel: 212-860-4906

Fax: 917-432-2983

www.micahkellner.com

Staf Writer & Researcher

Jea Fschma , 200910 Her Cee Pbc Schar

Cover photo: ceegee-ceegee photostream, Flickr.com, 2008, Creative Commons license



Executive Summary

FoR-HiRE CAR CoMPAniES ARE intEgRAl to nEw YoRK CitY’S tRAnSPoRtAtion inFRAStRuCtuRE, parcary he er br

hs here resdes e rey hese servces cmpesae r pr

mass ras cecs. Recz ha 60,000 ne Yrkers se hee

chars, he tlC passed e res 2001 ha assed rhre vehces FHV

h he ba prvde eqvae servces csmers s hee

chars tlC Re 607. As re, he re s a eszesa pcy r adverse dsry ha des perae der a rm bsess mde.



E X E C U

T I V E S U M M A R Y

ths re as be eecve ocber 31 2001, b he eves Sep

ember 11 2001 resed he mpemea accessbe servces

be deerred Jaary 30 20041 r cmmy very cars ad ry

mses. Fr back car bases mpemea as smary deayed

Sepember 30 2002. the rhre dsry has bee ve adeqae me

cmpy h tlC Re 607 , ye he rhre vehce dsry des a r ca cmpy h he re as re.

As Sepember 2009, he tlC sed 495 cesed very cmpaes

ad 68 back car cmpaes s ebse. the tlC ebse drecs rders

search r accessbe rhre vehces spreadshees cesed

very ad back car servces rm hese ss, hch ere as pdaed

ocber 15 2006.2

Fr hs repr, a sdy as cdced rm Sepember nvember 2009 hch a

hese cmpaes ere caed ad asked very her cmpace h he re reqr he

prvs servces csmers s heechars. Fp cas ere made hse cmpa

es ha crmed ha hey cd prvde accessbe servce rder deerme he servceered as eqa he servce ered a heechar s csmer.

i he a cmpace cas 40% very car cmpaes ad 43% back car cmpa

es sad ha hey d be abe prvde ay servces r a heechar ser.

the vas majry he cmpaes ha saed hey ere abe prvde servces dd s

hrh a sma mber emae hrdpary cacrs he hers camed prvde

hrdpary servces hrh AccessARde r hrh a ambee servce, va tlC

res.

o he very car cmpaes ha camed er heechar accessbe servce, y 4%

qed rps a a eqvae rae ha he cmpay sad d chare r he same rp r

a heechar ser, ad a reasabe me. n e back car cmpay ered eqa raes

ad a reasabe me. the derea raes as e ereme. lvery car bases chared a

averae $37 mre r he prvs accessbe servce ha r a heechar ser. Back

car bases chared a averae $109 mre.

Prce s y e measre by hch he tlC measres adherece s “servce eqva

ecy reqreme” ad hs sdy as d reasabe ad eqabe dspares areas

sch as a deay respse me, dsparae avaaby, ad her resrcs.

Accrd he tlC, here had bee ay recrd rhre base vas, becase

he tlC had erced ay peay r cmpace h re 607 . whe re 607 has

bee eec sce Jaary 30, 2004, he tlC saed ha d be erc peaes r

cmpace h re 607 December 2009. i has bee s years sce re 607 has

bee eec, ye he tlC has js be k a erceme.Re 607 s crre rm des prvde reabe accessbe raspra. thh

erceme s pary bame, he re se pses sers prbems r bh rders ad r

hre bases. Frhre bases crac h accessbe prvders ress ereme prce

ad reasabe a mes r rders. Eqa servces ca be prvded r rders he r

hre bases are rced crac h prvders ha chare a hher rae r accessbe cars. ths

paces a aca brde hese bases, ead reabe servce ad reasabe css r

rders. Re 607 ms be csey eamed address hs a. umaey, s cear ha mre

rhre bases ha crrey are back car r very ees ms as be reqred her

accessbe vehces rder prvde reabe accessbe raspra.

1 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, nvember 5 For-Hire Vehicles Must Comply With Wheelchair Ac-cessibility Rule as o January 30, 2004 [www dcme] HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/es/d04_01.shm2 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, Sepember 22 Wheelchair Accessibility Rule Implementation [www dcme] HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/heechar/base_s.shm

Taxis for All and United Spinal Association members protest the lack of accessible transportation at a 2005 rally.

(Photo courtesy of Taxis for All)



Background

tHE APPRoxiMAtElY 60,000 wHEElCHAiR uSERS liVing innEw YoRK CitY ad d mbers heechars rss have a

dfc me secr raspr. A heechar ser k r a rhreve

hce a scheded raspra p, a sreehaed ye cab h

cas 311 r vss he tlC’s ebse d be dreced a da s 495

very car cmpaes ad 68 back car cmpaes—a hch are prpred prvde servces heechar sers as per tlC Res.



Frhre vehce bases are raed ceses hree dere caeres: cmmy v

ery cars, back cars, ad ry mses. lvery car bases are ypcay r persa rave he

back car bases msy caer crprae accs. A rhre vehce cmpay ypes are smar

ha vehces are dspached rm a base perar, rm hm he are s qed, avaaby s

crmed, ad he rp s reserved.

Accrd a ac shee prvded by he tlC ebse rm 2009, here are crrey30,110 afaed very ad back car rhre vehces he rad day.1

o ocber 31 2001, he tlC adped tlC FrHre Vehce Re 607 mak base

ers “respsbe r prvd servce perss h dsabes.” Base ers have ays

hs reqreme:

1 dspach a afaed accessbe vehce, p reqes; r2 arra r he dspach a accessbe vehce afaed h aher cesed base, p reqes, he base er has eered a craca r her arraeme h sch base r he prvs accessbe vehces perss h dsabes.

whchever p he base er chses, he tlC’s res have a sadard ha ms be

me r “eqvae servce.” A mber characerscs ms be demsraed as “eqvae” h servce s devered pepe s heechars “he veed s erey” rder

r he sadard be me, cd2:

a Respse me reqess r servce;b Fares chared;c Hrs ad days servce avaaby;d Aby accep reservas;e Resrcs based p rp prpse; oher mas capacy r servce avaaby.

the re as es dee he erm “accessbe vehce” mea a vehce cmp

ace h he accessby reqreme he Amercas wh Dsabes Ac ADA 1990, ad

as ha “[] may be a pararas vehce r ambee as deed by Chaper 4 he Cmmss Res. Mrever, he vehce may bear eera marks, her ha hse reqred

by he ADA r her appcabe a, dey as a accessbe vehce. Fr sace, he ve

hce ca be marked ‘vad cach. ‘ 3” the re des dereae beee ees h

her vehces ad hse ha crac h dvda drvers r ers.

Accrd a dsry ce rm Jaary 2 2004, he tlC psped mpemea

Re 607 r a very car servces ad ry mse servces Jaary 30, 2004 rm s

ra eacme ocber 31, 2001 de he eves Sepember 11 2001. impemea

he re r back car cmpaes as smary pshed back Sepember 3 20024.

Ahh mpemea re 607 as sppsed be eecve Jaary 30 2004,

here has bee peay r cmpy h hs re recey. Frhermre, he tlCsad ha hey have eve bee ssed ay vas, b raher have bee csed edca

raher ha erceme. the tlC has sad ha hey are cdc mhy checks

bases esre cmpace. i bases are cmpace, vas are ssed h pssbe

meary ad cese sspes peaes. i s cear he hese mhy checks ad s

s vas bea, sce he tlC ms recey epaed ha as s eaed s

edca bases ab cmpace h re 607.

1 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, ocber 25 Understanding the For-Hire Vehicle Industry * [wwwdcme] PDF hp://.yc.v/hm/c/dads/pd/hv_base_ac_shee.pd 2 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, Sepember 23 For Hire Vehicle Rules [www dcme] PDFhp://.yc.v/hm/c/dads/pd/hvres.pd#07

3 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, ocber 15 Wheelchair Accessibility FAQ [www dcme]HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/aq/heechar.shm

4 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, nvember 2 For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) Bases Must Comply with

Wheelchair Accessibility Rule as o January 30, 2004 [www dcme] HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/es/d04_01.shm

B A C K G R O U N D



B A

C K GR O UN D

the lvery Passeer’s B Rhs saes ha passeers are eed 1:

• Rideinacarthatisclean,ingoodcondition,andhaspassedallrequiredinspections;

• BedrivenbyaTLC-licenseddriveringoodstandingwhoselicenseisclearlydisplayed;• Asafeandcourteousdriverwhoobeysalltraclaws;

• Aquiettrip,freeofhorn-honkingandaudio/radionoise;

• Receiveafarequotefromthedispatcherandpaythatamountforyourride(unlessthetripchanges;• Adriverwhodoesnotuseacellphonewhiledriving(hands-freephonesarenotpermitted);

• Asmokeandscentfreeride;

• Air-conditioningorheatonrequest;

• Workingseatbeltsforallpassengers–pleaseusethem!

• Notsharearide,unlessyouwantto;

• Beaccompaniedbyaserviceanimal;

• Declinetotipforpoorservice.

nhere des he B Rhs me he rh a accessbe vehce h eqvaecy servce. Ecd hs rm he passeer’s b rhs marazes he 60,000 hee

char sers ne Yrk Cy, ad a h erceme re 607 rases sers qes

s as he cmmme servce eqvaecy.

1 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, nvember 14 Livery Passenger’s Bill o Rights [www dcme] HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/passeer/very_rhs.shm



Methodology

& Findings

BEtwEEn SEPtEMBER 22 2009 AnD noVEMBER 22 2009, All tlC-liStED liVERY AnD BlACK CAR CoMPAniES wERE CAllED to DEtERMinE CoMPliAnCE to tlC RulE 6-07(F). the sdy dd

cde he hrd caery rhre vehces, ry mse cmpa

es. ia cas ere made deerme heher r he sed cmpay

ered servces pepe s heechars.



the ca scrp as sed:

He, my ame s Jea ad i am ca rm Assemby Member Mcah Keer’s fce. we are cdc a srvey ab heechar accessby. Ca y crrey prvde a heechar accessbe car acsmer?i no: thak y r yr me.

i YES: D y hese cars r are y craced r afaed h a cmpay ha prvdes hem?i ContRACtED: Ca y e me ha ame ha cmpay?

A secd rd cas as made he cmpaes ha sad hey ere abe prvde

heechar accessbe servces, eher h her cars r hrh a afaed r craced

cmpay.

the ca scrp as sed:

He, i am ca schede a car r laarda Arpr, ad i eed he car be heechar accessbe—he heechar ms sde he car. Ca y hep me h ha?i YES: H mch he rp cs? i i as abe ake a car sead d, he prce be he same?Ca i schede rh aay? [Recrd ay adda advace ce reqred r her resrcs.]

Findings Community (“Livery”) Car Companies the a srvey sze r cmmy car cmpaes as 495; hever, 147 he cm

paes sed by he tlC had dsceced r r mbers, ere dpcaes he tlC s, dd

respd aer r mre cas, resed parcpae, r h p he srveyr. i s key

ha may he 26 cmpaes ha resed dd a parcpae de cmpace.

o he rema 348 very cmpaes srveyed, 109 saed ha hey d heechar

accessbe cars ad ere afaed h r d have a crac h a cmpay ha pr

vdes hese servces.

225 saed ha her cmpaes d heechar accessbe cars b ere af

aed r craced h a cmpay ha des. 152 saed ha hey crac h he same rheechar accessbe prvders: Ahava Access ic, Vea traspra, Vce lmse, ad

A Rde r A. Cas hese r prvders reveaed ha hey he mber ve

hces: A Rde r A llC 9, Vea traspra 30, Vce lmse 2, ad Ahava Acces ic

“ard 20”—mea ha 61 accessbe vehces are craced 152 very car cmpaes.

17 saed ha hey crac h a ambee prvder, va tlC res. 29 cmpaes

sad ha hey dd k he ame he cmpay hey craced h r dd a

reease hs rma he srveyr.

oy 14 he cmpaes srveyed saed ha hey crrey a heechar ac

cessbe vehce. teher hese cmpaes a a 73 accessbe vehces. t hese

cmpaes, Appe traspra 12 vehces ad wdsr Ambee 30 vehces, prvde

predmaey ambee servces. 2 cmpaes sad ha her heechar accessbe cars ere

crrey servce.

the 239 cmpaes hch preseed hemseves as cmpa h tlC Res he cm

bed a cdes he 225 cmpaes ha have cracs ad he 14 ha her ve

hces ere caed a separae day aemp bk a reserva r servce.

the secd ca as preseed as a srvey r a eeced fca—raher he srveyr

psed as a pea csmer bk a rp lagarda arpr.

uder hese ess fca crcmsaces, 90 cmpaes saed hey dd prvde

accessbe servces r ere abe be reached aer severa aemps, he 67 prvded a

phe mber as a reerra a afae raher ha sched he servce hemseves. Prvd

a separae phe mber ca s va tlC Res, hch reqres ha he cmpayse schede he rp drecy.

61 sad hey d accmmdae he reqes, b eher he sameday r a

he same prce qed r accessbe raspr see ‘Eqvaecy Servce,’ pae 13.

ME T H O D OL O GY

&

F I N DI N G S



i he ed, y 21 495 tlCsed very car cmpaes ere abe accmmdae a reqes

r a sameday reserva ad a he same prce qed r a accessbe vehce.

Table 1a: Stated Availability o Accessible Services by Livery Car Companies

States that base is not contracted with accessible vehicle provider and has no ownership o accessible vehicle in its eet 109 (22.0%)

States that base is contracted/aliated

with accessible vehicle provider * 225 (45.5%)*

States that base has accessible vehicle in its feet 14 (2.8%)

Number disconnected, duplicate on TLC list, reused to participate 147 (29.7%)

Total 495 (100%)* 28 companies stated that base was contracted with an accessible vehicle provider, but that they could not remember its name or

reused to release that inormation.

Table 1b: Actual Availability o Accessible Services by Livery Car Companies

Base cannot provide accessible transport

or base does not respond to request or service* 199 (40.2%)*

Base tells caller to call a dierent number or an aliate 67 (13.5%)Base can accommodate service request ,

at equivalent price and within a reasonable time frame21 (4.2%)

Base can accommodate service request,

but not at equivalent price or within a reasonable time rame61 (12.3%)

Number disconnected, duplicate on TLC list, no response, reused to

participate147 (29.7%)

Total 495 (100%)* Includes 109 companies who indicated in frst survey that they had no accessible vehicle as well as the 90 who could not schedule atrip in second survey.

FindingsBlack Car Companiesthe a srvey sze r back car cmpaes as 68 cmpaes; hever, 21 cmpaes

sed by he tlC had dsceced r r mbers, ere dpcaes he tlC s, dd

respd aer r mre cas, r resed parcpae r h p he srveyr. i s keyha he 2 cmpaes ha resed dd a parcpae de cmpace.

o he rema 47 back car cmpaes, 22 saed ha hey d heechar

accessbe cars ad are afaed h r craced h a cmpay ha hese servces. 23

saed ha her cmpay des heechar accessbe cars b s afaed r craced

h a cmpay ha des. o hese 23 cmpaes, 8 saed afa r crac h a acces

sbe prvder b sad ha hey dd k he ame r dd a reease he rma

he srveyr, 12 saed afa r crac h Ahava Access ic, Vea traspra,

Vce lmse, A Rde r A, r S Sar lmse. Fay, 2 saed ha hey are afaed

h AccessARde he MtA’s pararas servce ad 1 saed afa h a ambee ser

vce Sar Crser Ambee—eher hch s aabe der he tlC res.oy 2 he cmpaes srveyed rm he tlC’s s crrey a heechar acces

sbe vehce, b eve hese cmpaes ere maey abe prvde a accessbe vehce

a a eqvae prce ad h a reasabe me rame.

the 25 cmpaes hch preseed hemseves as cmpa h tlC Res ere

&

F I N D I N G S



caed a dere day aemp bk a reserva r servce. the secd ca as

preseed as a srvey r a eeced fca—raher he srveyr psed as a pea csmer

bk a rp lagarda arpr.

uder hese ess fca crcmsaces, 7 cmpaes ha had prevsy represeed

hemseves as cmpa saed hey dd prvde accessbe servces r ere abe

be reached aer severa aemps.

o he rema 18 cmpaes, e as abe accmmdae a reqes r a same

day reserva ad a he same prce qed r a accessbe vehce.

Table 2a: Stated Availability o Accessible Services by Black Car Companies

States that base is not contracted with accessible vehicle provider

and has no ownership o accessible vehicle in its eet 22(32.4%)

States that base is contracted/aliated

with accessible vehicle provider * 23(33.8%)*

States that base has accessible vehicle in its feet 2 (2.9%)

Number disconnected, duplicate on TLC list, reused to participate 21 (30.9%)

Total 68 (100%)* 8 companies stated that base was contracted with an accessible vehicle provider, but that they could not remember its name or reused to release that inormation.

Table 2b: Actual Availability o Accessible Services by Black Car Companies

Base cannot provide accessible transport

or base does not respond to request or service* 29 (42.6%)*

Base tells caller to call a dierent number or an aliate 4 (5.9%)Base can accommodate service request ,

at equivalent price and within a reasonable time frame0 (0.0%)

Base can accommodate service request,

but not at equivalent price or within a reasonable time rame14 (20.6%)

Number disconnected, duplicate on TLC list, no response, reused to

participate21 (30.9%)

Total 68 (100%)* Includes 22 companies who indicated in frst survey that they had no accessible vehicle as well as the 7 who could not schedule atrip in second survey.

152 livery car companies and 12 black car companies said that they met the TLC accessibility requirement by contracting with the same 4 providers: Ahava Access, A Ride for All, Vincent Limousine, and Vega Transporta-tion. Together, these companies own only 73 vehicles.

ME T H O D OL O GY

&

F I N DI N G S



&

F I N D I N G S

Inappropriate and Unlawul Reerrals to Ambulette and Paratransit

Services17 he cmmy car cmpaes ad 1 he back car cmpaes srveyed saed

afa r crac h a ambee servce.

A FAQ he tlC ebse epas 1:

“Reerr caers r heecharaccessbe servce aher base des cse cmpaceh he tlC’s heechar accessby re. whey receve a ca r a heecharaccessbe vehce, yr base ms pace he ca he base hhch y have craced r he servce. Adday, y may crac h a pararas/ambee base ess he vehces ha base dspaches are marked her eerr as herpararas/ambee sas.”

“Pararas/ambee bases are prmary r spe

cazed medca raspra, r ca, demadrespsve, day raspra. Yr basemay cmpy h hs re by eher prchass accessbe vehce r by crac haher tlCcesed base prvde he servce passeers p reqes. the bases ha havebee apprved by he tlC prvde hs servce,ad crac h her bases, are A Rde r A,Symphy traspra, ad Vea traspra.”

ths cradcs h a pbshed s ee cmpaes ha he tlC has s ebse

dea apprved heechar accessbe servces2 ha cde may he ambee cmpa

es ha very bases are craced h. i s cear rders heher here are hree tlC

apprved cmpaes r ee ha are aabe r crac. ths s s pdaed.

Add hs cs s ha he he tlC s cear ha ambee vehces ms be

marked, cas he r ambee cmpaes he pbshed s ee accessbe servce

prvders Aed Cera Ambee, ocea Ambee, Sarre Ambee, ad upard mb

y reveaed ha e hse cmpaes accessbe vehces h ambee medca

marks. i ac, a vehces ere descrbed as “servce ambees,” cmpee h medca

eqpme. whe very r back car cmpaes crac h hese cmpaes her csm

ers are se ecessary epesve vehces h marks ha medcaze he eperece, a

sma tlC Res sh speccay—ad rhy— prhb.

these ambee prvders chare mch mre r raspra servces. Bases hacrac h hese prvders, herere, ms reec hs derece hher cs he are,

rder rema prabe. the crre tlC a makes reabe ad reasabe accessbe servces

aaabe becase hs crac prvs. Frhre bases ca prvde eqa prc

r a accessbe vehce he prvders hey crac h chare mre.

there s vaeess ab he a caery apprprae crac. Fve cm

paes reerred he srveyr MtA ne Yrk Cy tras’s pararas servce, AccessARde.

we ca be cde ha hese cmpaes have aca rma reashp h he MtA, as

he pbcprpse aecy des crac s servces. AccessARde peraes a parae

pararas servce he rear mass ras sysem resered sers mee edera qa

cas. Reerr rders AccessARde ceary demsraes cmpace h tlC Res.

1 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, ocber 15 Wheelchair Accessibility FAQ [www dcme]HtMl hp://.yc.v/hm/c/hm/aq/heechar.shm2 ne Yrk Cy ta ad lmse Cmmss 2008, ocber 23 Wheelchair Service Providers [www dcme] PDFhp://.yc.v/hm/c/dads/pd/heechar_accessbe_servce_prvders.pd

TLC Rules explicitly prohibit For-Hire-Vehicle base own-ers from delivering service to wheelchair users through paratransit vehicles or ambulettes, like this vehicle below,marked “invalid coach.” (Photo from frostbitten photostream,Flickr.com, 2008, Creative Commons license)



ME T H O D OL O GY

&

F I N DI N G S

Equivalence o Service or Livery Car Basesthere are damea prbems beyd he avaaby accessbe vehces. Eve

here vehces are avaabe, he eqvaece servce sadard s be me, ad prce

a s a ereme prbem.

Fr eampe, nY 88 Epress Crpra l isad Cy prced a rp lagarda ar

pr a accessbe car a $150 ps /p, he a lc tcar r he same rp r aheechar ser as prced a $18 ps /p. Aher cmpay, Cba Rad Dspach

Fsh, prced a rp lagarda a $250 r a accessbe car, he a lc tcar r he

same rp as qed a $15.

the averae adda chare, abve he rear qed are, r a very car bases ha

cd prvde a accessbe car as $37.

oher eqa cmpay pces cde reasabe ad dsparae advace reserva

res. Fr eampe, Accrd c/ Servce ic saed ha he rder shd ca a eas eeks

advace make a reserva r a heechar accessbe vehce, b had accessbe

cars avaabe mmedaey.

Fay, cmpaes ha sad hey ed a heechar accessbe car, RC Adb Svcic ad was Car Servce, cd prvde servces becase he cars ere servce.

Equivalence o Service or Black Car BasesPrce as as a eve reaer prbem h back car cmpaes, here he

averae adda chare, abve he rear qed are, r a accessbe vehce as a er

ba $109.

lmas avaaby preseed a adda bsace servce. Fr eampe, Eae

Amerca lm Svce ic reqred a mh advace ce accmmdae a passeer reqr

a accessbe car. CEt rp ic reqred 48 72 hr advace reservas. Bh qed

sameday avaaby r heechar csmers. the cmpaes ha saed ershp a accessbe vehce, Da 7 Car ad lm

ad Specacar lm lk, ic, cd prvde accessbe servce a a eqvae prce ad

h a reasabe merame. Specacar lm lk, ic had mmedae avaaby a ac

cessbe vehce, b chared $116 r a accessbe car ad y $68 r a lc tcar. Da

7 Car ad lm came cser mee he res, ad cd accmmdae a reqes r a ac

cessbe vehce a a eqvae prce, b reqred a 24 hr reserva ce.

the ac ha e back car cmpay base as abe prvde eqvaecy servce

hhhs he ereme prbems ha es hs dsry.

HOW MUCH TO LGA?

Wheelchair userscan expect to pay an average of $37 more for a trip to theairport in a livery car and an average of $109 more for a tripin a black car.

(Photo courtesy of Jim H.)



&

F I N D I N G S

Number o Accessible Vehicles Industry-WideAccrd he tlC, here are 30,110 afaed very ad back car vehces acrss he

cy. o he 563 rhre cmpaes very ad back car ha are sed as cesed by he tlC, hs

srvey reveaed y 75 accessbe vehces am her ees.

i her rds, y 0.2% a back cars r very cars are avaabe he marke

heechar sers ne Yrk Cy. ths ra s y eve cmpared he sma prpr

accessbe Ye Cabs 238 a a 13,000.oe he majr bsaces prvd accessbe raspra he rhre car

dsry s he ack accessbe cars ed by bases. Accrd Carme lmse Servce CEo,

Avk Kabessa, ms rhre basesd cars, ad y dspach rps afaed drvers. A

rhre base sa ha s he er ay s afae vehces ca rce a er

a accessbe vehce afae h . Eve a ay as d rce sch afa, says Mr.

Kabessa, s ecmca becase here s e crsssae. Fr bases ha d cars, Mr

Kabessa says ha becase here s e crse se, rhre bases d ha hese cars s sed a

a hh cs he base.

Cmpca maers rher, Mr. Kabessa says ha peaz bases ha d

cars des sve he prbem prv accessbe raspra; smpy rces hese bases

make as ad meaess cracs h accessbe prvders avd epesve peaes.

the tlC des dssh beee bases ha her ees cars ad bases h d

he cmes erceme re 607. Bases ha her cars ca mre easy make

sme hem accessbe as hey d have sc a depede er a heechar

accessbe vehce afae h hem.

Problems with TLC EnorcementAccrd Asssa Cmmsser Cse Aars Samara Epse he tlC had

bee erc meary peaes r ay rm ces sspes r cmpace

h re 607 as nvember 2009. Asssa Cmmsser Epse saed, “as spr, e

added a meary peay he 607 va as par he FrHre Vehce AccabyRes. the res became eecve Jy 2, ad e have hs ar bee cs edca,

erceme. we are pa be erceme r hs packae e res e mh.1”

the Asssa Cmmsser e rher, epa ha he tlC had ssed a e vas

prr nvember, 2009, as here had bee a prbem h he prevs re here aed

bases me prve her cmpace by crac h a accessbe prvder aer he ac,

ad avd ay peay.2

o Jaary 6, 2010, Asssa Cmmsser Epse saed ha he tlC, “[] sses

ces bases ha are cmpace ad erceme vss bases ha d cmpy

h 607 sse hem vas, hch ca res a $1,000 peay ad sspes

cmpace.3” the tlC as abe crm he hese mhy base checks bea, r aha p he tlC bea ss vas r cmpace h re 607. Hever, he

tlC dd crm se a “secre shpper prram.” Asssa Cmmsser Epse descrbed

he prram: “he secre shpper prram s smar h y made cas r yr repr e

ca ps as pea csmers reqes a heechar accessbe vehce. we ca bases a

eas ce a year .”

A a sse s h he tlC ebse se. whe veed eeky beee ocber ad

December 2009, he k r a cmpa h he tlC he heechar accessby eb

pae as acve. the tlC ca erce re 607 ess csmers are abe reser cm

pas. the are maa he k rerces he ac ha he tlC des ve adeqae

ae hs sse. thh he tlC has ed hs k aer be rmed by r fce, skey ha may cmpas e heard dr hs perd, ad s k h he

k as acve bere ocber 2009.

1 Epse, ta ad lmse Cmmss Asssa Cmmsser Cse Aars Samara 2009, nvember 19.Electronic Mail to Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner Re: Accessible Violations

2 ibd.3 Epse, ta ad lmse Cmmss Asssa Cmmsser Cse Aars Samara 2010, Jaary 6.Electronic Mail to Assembly Member Micah Z Kellner Re: Accessibility Report



Recommendations

AlMoSt EigHt YEARS AFtER tHE ADoPtion oF tlC FoR-HiREVEHiClE RulE 6-07(F), SCARCElY AnY (4% oF CoMMunitY oR“liVERY” CAR CoMPAniES AnD no BlACK CAR CoMPAniES)ARE in CoMPliAnCE. where cmpaes cam accessbe b

as hrh cracs, he bk hese d adhere tlC Res

he cmpay prvdes a phe mber r a ahrzed servce he caer r he craced cmpay s permssbe crac h.



whe tlC Re 607 madaes rhre bases crac rder be cmpace as

a aerave prchas accessbe vehces, he res reaed crac d ara

ee reabe ad eqa servces.

where vehces are made avaabe heechar sers, prce by a averae

$37 r very car bases ad $109 r back car bases s rampa, ad dscrmary bsaces

sch as reqr reasabe ad dsparae advace servce r avaaby s cmmpace.whe prce a ad reasabe a mes ca e be epaed by he dfces

crac h prvders ha chare mre r her servces, s eheess prbemac ad

cradcry he e he re.

Fay, here s a sar ack accessbe vehces avaabe r he 60,000 ne Yrkers

h se heechars he very ad back car ees—y 0.2%.

thh he tlC has be ss vas r cmpace, he ac remas

ha r ve years aer re 607 e eec, he tlC dd h erce hs re c

y a eed r “edca.” ths has e he rhre vehce dsry arey accessbe

rders h se heechars. As, srcer erceme hs re araee reabe ad

eqa accessbe raspra. Frhre base cmpace h re 607 hrh craccrrey eads prce ad reasabe a mes. ths re ms be rerked

hep bases d mre efce ays prvde accessbe vehces rders. Crac h a

sma mber accessbe prvders r he prvs accessbe cars des hep rders r

he rhre bases; bases eher se mey, r have chare rders reasaby hh prces r

a accessbe vehce. the crre re eads hher css r rders ad meaess cracs

ha bases have desre hr. i s cear rm hese ds ha here are ar e ac

cessbe rhre vehces he rad ad mre rhre bases ms her accessbe

cars emae meaess crac ad prce . the tlC shd as dere

ae beee arer rhre bases h dspached cars, ad smaer bases h ed vehces

he erc re 607. larer bases ca ad shd be abe make a perceae her

dspached cars accessbe, he smaer bases mh be abe prvde hs servce h

prce ad reasabe ames.

Frhermre, cmpaes ha prvde rhre bases h accessbe vehces hrh

cracs shd be csey mred esre ha hey d chare a eqa rae r

hre bases.

Recommendations• Frhre bases ha a are mber vehces shd be reqred have ac

cessbe vehces her ees. Re 607 shd be revsed reqre ha 5% arer

base ees ms be accessbe. Fr eampe: r every 100 vehces ed, 5 d beheechar accessbe; • TheTLCshouldclearlyidentifythefor-hirecompaniesthatownaccessiblevehicles

her ebse ad her pbcas s ha heechar csmers ca make a mrermed decs he chs hch servce se;

• Whenafor-hirevehiclebasechoosestocontractwithanapprovedaccessibleprovder, ha prvder shd be sed e he rhre vehce base he tlC ebse

ad reaed pbcas s ha heechar csmers ca make a mre rmed de

cs he chs hch servce se;

• TheTLCshouldrestrictthenumberofcompaniesthatareallowedtoaliatewith

he same apprved accessbe vehce prvder ad hs sadard shd ake ac



R E C OMME N DA T I ON S

c he mber vehces ha s reasabe be ‘shared’ ams cmpaes haare a epeced prvde he same eqvaecy servce heechar csmers;

• TheTLCshouldmonitor accessibleprovidersthatcontractwithbases forprice

, ad her eqabe pracces;

• TheTLCshouldundertakeperiodicauditsof liveryandblackcarcompaniesto

esre cmpace;

• Pricegougingofwheelchairusersshouldspecicallycarrysignicantnesand

peaes, cd ss cese;

• TheTLCshouldrequireliveryandblackcarcompaniesthatchoosetofulllFor-

Hre Vehce Re 607 hrh crac sbm, aay, cpes vad cracs. the tlC shd very ha hese cracs specy erms servce ha cde eqaprc ad sadards avaaby csse h ha s prvded heecharsers by ha cmpay. Fare sbm hese cracs r reve shd res ess ha ss cese perae;

• TheTLCshouldclarifywhatcompaniesareapprovedtooercontractingservices

ad remve cradcry rma rm her ebses ad her pbcas;

• TheTLCshouldreviewitsprotocolforapprovingcontractorsofaccessibleservices

esre ha ambee cmpaes abe araee he marked sas a accessbe car are apprved;

• Allpublicationsaimedatcommunicatingtherightsofpassengersofliveryand

back car cmpaes shd cde rma pere heechar sers, cd

b ecsve : he rh bk a vehce ha s heechar accessbe, he rh a eqa prce, he rh eqvae avaaby, ad he rh be mme reasabe ad adda resrcs r bk a rp; ad, • TheTLC“secret shopperprogram” should be conductedmore frequently than

ce a year, ad s ress made pbc, as a areae, r beer versh re607.



Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner

315 East 65th Street

new York, nY 10065

www.micahkel ler .com

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