Blue State Blues: NYC Orders All New Yellow Taxis to Be Wheelchair Accessible, but Drivers Gripe About Cost
20th October 2024
Every new yellow taxi in New York City must be wheelchair accessible under rules finalized by the Taxi and Limousine Commission on Friday, marking the latest step by officials to comply with a federal court order stemming from a lawsuit filed by disability advocates more than a decade ago.
The new rules mean the TLC will only approve a new vehicle license to a yellow taxi medallion holder if their car is equipped with a wheelchair ramp and other safety features for disabled riders. And whenever a taxi owner completes a so-called hack-up — or a refitting of their vehicle that’s required every seven years — the accessibility equipment must be added to their taxi.
A 2013 settlement of a federal lawsuit between the TLC and disability advocates mandated 50% of the city’s roughly 13,500 yellow taxis be wheelchair accessible by 2020. That deadline was pushed back to June 2023 during the COVID-19 pandemic — but the city still failed to meet the goal, “reaching only 32% for the Authorized Medallion Requirement and 42% for the Active Medallion Requirement,” according to court records.
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