Councilman David G. Greenfield is asking the MTA to allow Access-A-Ride passengers to use ridesharing services such as Uber, Lyft, and Gett, with reimbursements paid by the Transit Authority. The move comes as Greenfield’s office has fielded increasing complaints that the MTA’s service for disabled commuters is not performing up to par.
“I receive frequent calls on this topic from seniors and disabled passengers who have missed medical appointments, been late to family engagements, or even been stranded in the rain because of poor Access-A-Ride service,” Greenfield said. “They are sick and tired of being neglected by the MTA. We have a responsibility to do better by our most vulnerable citizens.”
According to a 2015 audit by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Access-A-Ride customers has encountered serious difficulties with providing New Yorkers the level of service to which they are entitled under the program. Access-A-Ride drivers are frequently late to pick up their customers, but Stringer’s audit found that they often manipulate their records to avoid accountability for their lateness. Even worse, it is a shockingly regular occurrence for drivers to simply not show up at all – Access-A-Ride customers were left stranded over 31,000 times in 2015 alone.
“It’s worth pointing out that an Access-A-Ride driver is not even considered late until more than 30 minutes have elapsed after the designated pickup time,” Greenfield said. “Meanwhile, if a passenger misses the pickup time by even five minutes, the driver will leave – often without even bothering to attempt to reach the passenger he is supposed to be picking up. If a passenger ‘misses’ multiple rides, he or she risks being banned from the service. These absurd policies often force people with disabilities and seniors to wait outdoors, even in inclement weather, for long periods of time out of fear that they will not be there at the precise moment their car arrives – if it arrives at all. We can and must do better.”
Greenfield said that by allowing Access-A-Ride passengers to simply use ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft, customers can have certainty as to when their vehicle will arrive, and an easy means of getting in touch with the driver if there is a problem. The practice would have the additional benefit of encouraging ridesharing companies to increase the number of handicap-accessible vehicles in their fleets.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
He is really right. Access a Ride is terrible. If you want to go to a dr appt, you have to call Access a Ride way in advance (days, or else you risk not having the time slot available that you want) and make an appt that is about 2 hours before the dr appt (if that transportation appt is even available). You must be out waiting for the ride 25 minutes in advance. But the ride is allowed to be late. If you are late, it will not wait for you. If that ride appt is not available, you have to either change your dr appt (some dr appts you can’t change bc the dr is all booked up) or take an appt that is either going to get you there late or way too early. Same thing for the return trip: When you call days before your dr appt, you have to figure out how long you have to wait to see the dr, how long the dr appt will take. You guess when the appt will be over and make a return appt ahead of time. If your appt is over early, you have to wait way longer for your return ride. We are talking about elderly and disabled people, who would find waiting hours (I am not exaggerating) terribly difficult and uncomfortable. I was shocked when I found out how terrible it is. Only the government could come up with this way of making appts. No thought at all about how it affects people.