NY State Senate Bill 2023-S486

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to transportation
Jan 04, 2023	referred to transportation

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2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1252
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Public Authorities Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §1205, Pub Auth L; amd §15-b, Transp L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7371, A9780
2021-2022: S4037, A5896

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Extends and expands the scope of the on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot to include an additional 1,200 users.

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S486

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would reasonably and responsibly build upon one the most
successful initiatives of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(MTA) in recent years-the "On-Demand E-Hail Paratransit Pilot Program."

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends the Public Authorities Law to require the MTA to
continue the On-Demand E-Hail Paratransit Pilot Program through March
31, 2022 with the following guidelines: (1) Fares for such services
shall be equal to the MTA base fare charge for subway and bus service;
(2) The hours of such service shall be the same as other bus, subway and

paratransit services; and (3) The length and frequency of such services
shall not be restricted.

Section 2. Makes the very same provisions as contained in Section 1
applicable to the relevant corresponding Section of Transportation Law.
Additionally, a formal report concerning the pilot is required, which
shall focus on ridership, usage patterns and costs.

Section 3. Establishes that such act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The MTA "On-Demand E--Hail Paratransit Pilot Program" commenced in 2017
and has been a godsend for New Yorkers with disabilities and seniors who
use paratransit by offering them the ability to call a ride when they
need it, where they need it "on demand."

Riders have hailed the service as life-changing because they no longer
must depend on the archaic and unreliable Access-A-Ride (AAR), which
requires them to book their rides at least one day in advance. Jn 2019,
the MTA decided to expand the pilot to another 1,200 riders but they
also placed severe restrictions upon the program, including instituting
service caps of no more than 16 rides per month and capping the value
per ride at $15 per trip, which limits the geographical mobility of
users. While the MTA is justified in terms of evaluating the cost of
this program-and any other-the decision to ration and cap rides was
arrived at prematurely and may ultimately be tremendously counterproduc-
tive.

The fact is that On-Demand service has changed people's lives. In addi-
tion, no other MTA customer faces rationing of rides or limits on the
distance they can travel. As with any system, a full-fledged On-Demand
E-Hail. Paratransit Pilot Program will have high, mid and low volume
users, yet the On-Demand trips cost about less than half of what tradi-
tional paratransit trips do, while offering much better service. The
average cost to the MTA of an On-Demand ride is less than $41,'while
standard ARR rides cost more than $82. The current pilot only takes up
of AAR's annual budget, so growth not only makes sense but can save
money in the long-term. There is no question the program is cost-effec-
tive and good for the overall economy of New York City.

Furthermore, reliable On-Demand service greatly expands riders' access
to Sobs, education, and healthcare, and positively impacts our communi-
ties and our economy. Nearly seven in ten New Yorkers with a disability
are unemployed, with poor 'transportation cited by community members as
one of the main reasons they can't find jobs-On-Demand service is
extraordinarily helpful in reversing this trend.

In addition, the on-demand pilot program has also provided much-needed
revenue to yellow and green taxi drivers, many of whom are burdened with
debt and unfair price competition from for-hire-vehicle operators. Last-
ly, ensuring that all New Yorkers have timely and reliable access to
public transportation is a matter of equity-pure and simple.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S4037A

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To Be Determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    486
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, BAILEY, CLEARE, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN, KRUEGER,
   MYRIE, PARKER, RAMOS, RIVERA, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered print-
   ed,  and  when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transporta-
   tion
 
 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

 S. 486                              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.

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Senate Bill S486

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S486

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S486 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments