S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1252
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 13, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  DINOWITZ, CARROLL, SIMON, WEPRIN, BENEDETTO,
   OTIS, BRAUNSTEIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on  Corpo-
   rations, Authorities and Commissions
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the public authorities law and the transportation law,
   in relation to extending and expanding  the  scope  of  the  on-demand
   E-hail paratransit pilot

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 1205  of  the  public  authorities
 law,  as  added by chapter 717 of the laws of 1967, is amended and a new
 subdivision 9 is added to read as follows:
   3. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this  section,
 no  zonal  system  of  fares proposed to be instituted on or after March
 first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight for the use of the whole or any part
 of a rapid transit facility or of an omnibus line facility  OR  A  PARA-
 TRANSIT SERVICE operated by the authority and no general revision of the
 system  of  transfers  applicable  to  the use of all such facilities in
 effect as of that date shall be established without the written approval
 of the mayor. For the purposes  of  this  subdivision  the  term  "zonal
 system  of fares" shall mean any system whereby the fare payable for the
 use of a rapid transit facility or an omnibus line facility OR ANY PARA-
 TRANSIT SERVICE OPERATED BY THE AUTHORITY or of any part thereof  varies
 according  to distance traveled or to the location of the point of entry
 or departure by the user, but the creation or elimination of free trans-
 fer points shall not be regarded as the institution of such a system.
   9. A. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION,  THE  TERM  "ON-DEMAND  E-HAIL
 PARATRANSIT  PILOT"  SHALL  MEAN THE SERVICE CREATED BY THE METROPOLITAN
 TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY IN TWO THOUSAND SEVENTEEN, THROUGH WHICH  USERS
 OF THE AUTHORITY'S ACCESS-A-RIDE PARATRANSIT PROGRAM CAN RECEIVE IMMEDI-
 ATE RIDES USING A SMARTPHONE APP OR PHONE SERVICE.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01177-01-3
 A. 1252                             2
              

 
   B.  THE AUTHORITY SHALL CONTINUE TO OPERATE THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARA-
 TRANSIT PILOT THROUGH MARCH THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-FIVE,  AS
 PROVIDED  BY  SUBDIVISION FIVE-A OF SECTION FIFTEEN-B OF THE TRANSPORTA-
 TION LAW.
   C. FARES FOR RIDES FOR THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT SHALL BE
 EQUAL TO THE AUTHORITY'S BASE FARE FOR BUS AND SUBWAY SERVICES. HOURS OF
 SERVICE  FOR  SUCH  PILOT  SHALL BE THE SAME AS THE AUTHORITY'S HOURS OF
 SERVICE FOR BUS, SUBWAY, AND OTHER  PARATRANSIT  SERVICES.  THE  LENGTH,
 DURATION  AND  NUMBER OF ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT RIDES AVAIL-
 ABLE TO EACH USER ENROLLED IN THE  ON-DEMAND  E-HAIL  PARATRANSIT  PILOT
 SHALL NOT BE LIMITED OR RESTRICTED.
   § 2. Section 15-b of the transportation law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 5-a to read as follows:
   5-A.  A.  FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM "ON-DEMAND E-HAIL
 PARATRANSIT PILOT" SHALL MEAN THE SERVICE CREATED  BY  THE  METROPOLITAN
 TRANSPORTATION  AUTHORITY IN TWO THOUSAND SEVENTEEN, THROUGH WHICH USERS
 OF THE AUTHORITY'S ACCESS-A-RIDE PARATRANSIT PROGRAM CAN RECEIVE IMMEDI-
 ATE RIDES USING A SMARTPHONE APP OR PHONE SERVICE.
   B. THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SHALL CONTINUE TO OPERATE
 THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT THROUGH MARCH  THIRTY-FIRST,  TWO
 THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE.
   C.  ON OR BEFORE MARCH SIXTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR, THE METRO-
 POLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SHALL EXPAND THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARA-
 TRANSIT PILOT TO INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED  ACCESS-
 A-RIDE  USERS;  PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THE AUTHORITY SHALL NOT PAY ANY COSTS
 OR EXPENSES RELATED TO SUCH  EXPANSION  ABOVE  FUNDING  LEVELS  FOR  THE
 ON-DEMAND  E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT FOR THE TWO THOUSAND NINETEEN CALEN-
 DAR YEAR, AND MAY ONLY IMPLEMENT SUCH EXPANSION WITH FUNDS  APPROPRIATED
 TO  IT  BY  THE  STATE OF NEW YORK OR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL SOURCE FOR SUCH
 PURPOSE. IN SELECTING NEW USERS FOR  THE  ON-DEMAND  E-HAIL  PARATRANSIT
 PILOT,  THE  METROPOLITAN  TRANSPORTATION  AUTHORITY  SHALL  ENDEAVOR TO
 SELECT A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF ACCESS-A-RIDE  USERS,  ACCOUNTING  FOR
 AGE,  DISABILITY,  GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY, AND
 FREQUENCY OF RIDERSHIP OF ACCESS-A-RIDE'S OTHER SERVICES.
   D. FARES FOR RIDES FOR THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT SHALL BE
 EQUAL TO THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY'S BASE FARE  FOR  BUS
 AND  SUBWAY  SERVICES. HOURS OF SERVICE FOR SUCH PILOT SHALL BE THE SAME
 AS THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY'S HOURS OF SERVICE FOR BUS,
 SUBWAY, AND OTHER PARATRANSIT SERVICES. THE LENGTH, DURATION AND  NUMBER
 OF  ON-DEMAND  E-HAIL  PARATRANSIT  PILOT  RIDES  AVAILABLE TO EACH USER
 ENROLLED IN THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT SHALL NOT BE  LIMITED
 OR RESTRICTED.
   E.  ON  OR  BEFORE  APRIL  THIRTEENTH,  TWO  THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE, THE
 AUTHORITY SHALL ISSUE A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT
 OF  THE  SENATE,  THE  MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE
 ASSEMBLY, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE MAYOR OF THE CITY  OF
 NEW  YORK, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND THE METROPOLITAN
 TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY. SUCH  REPORT  SHALL  DETAIL  RIDERSHIP,  USAGE
 PATTERNS, AND COSTS OF THE ON-DEMAND E-HAIL PARATRANSIT PILOT.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.