Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Do NYC Taxis Discriminate Against the Disabled?
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 24, 2011
Modified May 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 24, 2011
Modified May 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The US Attorney's office has jumped into the fight over the Taxi of Tomorrow by opening an investigation into whether the lack of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs in New York City amounts to a violation of parts of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Though one of the initial goals of the Taxi of Tomorrow program was "universal accessibility for persons with disabilities" the TLC eventually settled on a Nissan model that is not wheelchair accessible (versus the Karsan design, which is), a development which irritated many.
Responding to the news of the investigation, the city points out that it does issue medallions for wheelchair-accessible cabs (240 of the nearly 13,500 cabs in the city are wheelchair-accesible!) and anyway since 2007 they have been in the midst of rolling out a program where the disabled can call to arrange for a taxi to come pick them up. Never mind the fact that a current pilot version of said program cost the TLC roughly $172 per ride last year.
The investigation came after Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner filed a complaint in March with the Justice Department over the seeming discrimination. Asked about the development, Kellner told the Times that he was glad that government was taking a look but was “sad we have to turn to our court system for people with disabilities’ rights to be enforced.”
Tagged
cabs
taxi of tomorrow
wheelchair accessible
taxis
tlc
taxi
cab
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .