Nearly 500 City Cabs Violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, says Attorney General Eric Schneiderman 听NEW YORK DAILY NEWS; Pete Donahue, NOVEMBER 19, 2013
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Toyota Siennas and Ford Transit Connects are vans must be able to carry wheelchair users under the federal ADA, Schneiderman鈥檚 office said in a letter last week. The definition of van under the ADA is the subject of ongoing litigation between advocates and the Bloomberg administration over the city’s ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ design, which is a van-like vehicle that is not handicap accessible.
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Nearly 500 of the city鈥檚 yellow cabs violate the Americans with Disabilities Act because they鈥檙e not wheelchair accessible, the state attorney general has concluded.
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By any common-sense measure, Toyota Siennas and Ford Transit Connects are vans and must be able to carry wheelchair users under the federal ADA,听Attorney General Eric Schneiderman鈥檚 office said in a letter last week.
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Schneiderman is asking the U.S. Department of Transportation to adopt his opinion and enact clearer regulations.
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The definition of van under the ADA is the subject of ongoing litigation between advocates and the Bloomberg administration. Schneiderman isn鈥檛 involved in the lawsuits but his opinion is 鈥渜uite significant,鈥 Jim Weisman, general counsel at the United Spinal Association, said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the chief law enforcement officer in the state.鈥
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The United Spinal Association has asked a federal judge to declare Nisssan鈥檚 NV200 – the Bloomberg administration鈥檚 chosen 鈥淭axi of Tomorrow鈥 – a van that must be wheelchair accessible under the ADA.
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Schneiderman鈥檚 letter doesn鈥檛 discuss the NV200. But the Nissan model has the same characteristics Schneiderman cited in evaluating the Sienna and Transit Connect, including a 鈥渂oxlike鈥 shape, typically featuring sliding doors on the side panels.
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There are more than 13,200 yellow taxis. Only 231 of them are wheelchair accessible, although the city is planning to add 2,000 more in the next several years.
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The current yellow cab fleet includes 472 Siennas and Transit Connects that do not have wheelchair ramps.
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The Bloomberg administration has a deal with Nissan to be the sole producer of yellow NV200 NYC cabs for a decade. The first nine are in service. The city Taxi and Limousine Commission had no immediate comment.
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