New York – Citing a historic baseball moment, a federal judge has formally approved a deal making at least half of New York City’s taxi fleet wheelchair-accessible by 2020.
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Judge George Daniels approved the deal Tuesday. He said the plan to make taxis accessible to people with disabilities was one of the most significant acts of inclusion in the city since baseball great Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. The judge said the deal makes New York a better city.
The agreement reached last year settles a lawsuit brought in 2011 by advocacy groups. It came at a time when only about 200 of the city’s more than 13,000 yellow cabs were outfitted to accommodate wheelchairs.
Some wheelchair users said in a news release that accessible taxis will greatly improve their lives.
Some good news is nice to read once in a while. I hope that the drivers assigned these vehicles will have the patience and diligence to handle the extra effort involved, especially in inclement weather and in rush-hour traffic.
I’m guessing that the meter is started before the driver hops out to help the passenger into and out of the vehicle. That way, the drivers are compensated. However, that just makes it more expensive for the passenger, which might be considered discriminatory.
The VPG MV-1 is ideal to solve this, google it!