Op-ed originally published on the NY Daily News.
Although government enjoys talking the talk, are they truly willing to partner in the multifaceted effort required to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities? This community has been struggling with disproportionate unemployment rates for many years.
According to a 2018 report from the city controller, transportation is a major barrier to employment for people with disabilities. This is why Access-A-Ride must evolve into a viable option, affording our city’s otherwise abled citizens the same rights, autonomy and access to opportunity as everyone else.
I’m a blind citizen who lives in Brooklyn. I’ve been using Access-A-Ride since 2003 and know that the paratransit service for residents who cannot ride the subways and/or buses is abysmal.
In 2017, I applied for and was selected to participate in the on-demand e-hail pilot program with Access-A-Ride and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, allowing customers to book on-demand trips through an app called Curb. This program has greatly enhanced my level of independence and productivity, but now the MTA plans on severely restricting access to on-demand rides. Putting a cap on the number of on-demand rides is the equivalent of putting a cap on my potential success as a blind person.
Traditional Access-A-Ride service does not give individuals with disabilities anything close to the same level of autonomy and access to opportunity that straphangers typically enjoy. Having to schedule trips before 5 p.m. a day or two in advance, enduring the number of late pickups, and suffering through a potential three-hour tour of the five boroughs made it very frustrating to use at best.
Then, there’s cost. Traditional carriers are charging the MTA on average $86 per trip for horrendous service. In comparison, the on-demand e-hail trips average $36 per trip for a superior product which directly supports our city’s economy.
Although all of these issues were addressed in one fell swoop with the inception of the e-hail program, the MTA has announced that due to the increased ridership, use of on-demand service will now be restricted to 16 rides per month with a subsidized cap of $15 per ride.
I wonder if Gov. Cuomo and Pat Foye, the chair of the MTA, understand that we are not porcelain dolls sitting on a glass shelf somewhere with nothing to do. The pilot program has been life-changing for many of us who contend with a disability. It not only enables me to perform my job as an itinerant supervisor of teachers of the blind and visually impaired, it allows me to live my life with the same autonomy and dignity as every other citizen in our city.
I am not asking for a benevolent handout, rather equal rights and access under the law.
Chairman Foye, let’s collegially work towards a reasonable compromise, utilizing input from the MTA’s excellent System-Wide Accessibility Team who are your content area specialists, as well as community input from your advisory committees to arrive at an equitable solution for all stakeholders.
Not only do individuals with disabilities contribute socially, helping to raise awareness, promoting tolerant and inclusive attitudes, we are making economic contributions as viable workers, consumers, and patrons as well.
Unfortunately, Cuomo and Foye have now decided that citizens who need to utilize Access-A-Ride are not entitled to move around our city as freely as any other citizen. Why? Is it equitable that a person who needs to use Access-A-Ride has to live their life in such a predetermined and scheduled fashion, allowing for no spontaneity or flexibility? Does any other typically abled citizen live with all of these superficial restrictions prejudicially imposed upon them?
Disability should never be mistaken for inability. We want and deserve fairness. We want and deserve freedom.
Pedulla is a supervisor for Educational Vision Services at the city Department of Education and a member of the Advisory Committee on Transit Accessibility. These opinions are his and do not represent these organizations.