S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6201--A
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 27, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  PICHARDO, DAVILA, MOSLEY, BENEDETTO, JOYNER,
   BLAKE, JEAN-PIERRE, CRESPO, QUART -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of  A.
   HYNDMAN  --  read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
   -- recommitted to the Committee on Transportation in  accordance  with
   Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  administrative code of the city of New York, in
   relation to taxi  and  limousine  services  equipped  with  wheelchair
   accessible vehicles
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature  finds  and  declares
 that the public health, safety and welfare of New Yorkers who use wheel-
 chairs traveling to, from and within the city of New York is a matter of
 substantial  state  concern,  including access to safe and reliable mass
 transportation such as for-hire-vehicles. The majority of residents  and
 non-residents  of  the  city  of  New  York  who  use wheelchairs do not
 currently have efficient access to accessible for-hire-vehicles  in  the
 city of New York. The legislature finds and declares that is it a matter
 of  public  health,  safety  and welfare to ensure adequate and reliable
 accessible transportation to disabled individuals that  use  wheelchairs
 in  the  city of New York. Additionally, New York city has grappled with
 the issue of providing efficient for-hire-vehicle service to people  who
 use  wheelchairs  for  decades. Unfortunately, it efforts have proven an
 abject failure as its rules and regulations fail  to  comport  with  the
 business  structure  of  the  fore-hire-vehicle  model. This failure has
 manifested itself in the inability to achieve  equivalent  services,  as
 admitted  by the TLC commissioner. This legislative initiative creates a
 system that has proven successful in other states  in  providing  people
 who use wheelchairs with transportation. Moreover, this legislation uses

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10233-03-8
              

 A. 6201--A                          2
 
 a  similar  model  to  that  the TLC has implemented for the yellow taxi
 system.
   §  2.  The  administrative  code of the city of New York is amended by
 adding a new section 19-548 to read as follows:
   § 19-548 FOR-HIRE ACCESSIBLE WHEELCHAIR  TRANSPORTATION.  A.  THE  NEW
 YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION IS AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE SUCH
 RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  AS  IT  SHALL  DEEM  NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   B. THE NEW YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION SHALL CONTRACT WITH
 ONE ENTITY TO PROVIDE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES THROUGH  A  CENTRAL
 DISPATCH SERVICE. SUCH DISPATCH SERVICE SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVID-
 ING FOR-HIRE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION.
   C.  THE NEW YORK CITY FOR-HIRE BASES, AS DEFINED BY REGULATIONS OF THE
 NEW YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION, SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO NEW
 YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION REGULATIONS RELATED TO  ACCESSI-
 BLE VEHICLES FOR DISABLED PASSENGERS.
   D.  THE  NEW  YORK  CITY  TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION SHALL ISSUE AN
 ANNUAL REPORT REGARDING THE EFFICACY OF THE CENTRAL DISPATCH SERVICE  IN
 PROVIDING  PEOPLE  WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS WITH FOR-HIRE-VEHICLE TRANSPORTA-
 TION. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE METRICS DESCRIBING NUMBER  OF  RIDES  IN
 EACH BOROUGH AND TIME BETWEEN DISPATCH AND PICKUP OF PASSENGERS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
 completed on or before such date.