What's happening
This bill requires large for-hire vehicle base stations in New York City to convert at least 50% of their fleets to accessible vehicles by 2022, and imposes a temporary moratorium on new for-hire vehicle licenses.
Why it matters
Significantly increases accessible transportation in NYC. By requiring large for-hire vehicle (FHV) base stations (those with 1,200+ vehicles) to convert at least 50% of their fleets to accessible vehicles by 2022, the bill would dramatically expand mobility options for people with disabilities, improving equity and access across the city.
Pressures major ride-hail companies to adapt. The bill’s threshold for “large” bases likely targets major operators like Uber and Lyft, compelling them to invest in accessible vehicles and fundamentally altering their fleet compositions and service models in NYC.
Creates temporary limits on new vehicle growth. The moratorium on new FHV licenses aims to address concerns about congestion and environmental impacts from rapid ride-hail fleet expansion, pausing new entries while an environmental review is conducted for smaller bases seeking to grow.
Imposes enforceable penalties and planning requirements. The bill mandates that affected companies submit compliance plans and establishes daily fines (and potential license revocation) for non-compliance, ensuring there are real consequences for failing to meet accessibility targets.
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Require Accessible For-Hire Vehicles
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require Accessible For-Hire Vehicles
In Assembly Committee · Cities · Sponsor Victor M. Pichardo
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1879
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to for-hire vehicles; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions u and v of section 19-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 51 of the city of New York for the year 1996, are amended to read as follows:
u. "Black car" means a for-hire vehicle dispatched from a central facility whose owner holds a franchise from the corporation or other business entity which operates such central facility, or who is a member of a cooperative that operates such central facility, where such central facility has certified to the satisfaction of the commission that more than ninety percent of the central facility's for-hire business is on a payment basis other than direct cash payment by a passenger and/or covered by the New York black car operators' injury compensation fund, inc. pursuant to section one hundred sixty-dd of the executive law.
v. "Luxury limousine" means a for-hire vehicle which is dispatched from a central facility which has certified to the satisfaction of the commission that more than ninety percent of its for-hire business is on a payment basis other than direct cash payment by a passenger, for which there is maintained personal injury insurance coverage of no less than five hundred thousand dollars per accident where one person is injured and one million dollars per accident for all persons injured in that same accident, whose passengers are charged on the basis of garage to garage service and on a flat rate basis or per unit of time or mileage and/or covered by the New York black car operators' injury compensation fund, inc. pursuant to section one hundred sixty-dd of the executive law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01004-01-7
S. 1879 2
§ 2. Section 19-506 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision n to read as follows:
n. 1. For the purposes of this subdivision:
(a) "Accessible vehicle" shall have the same meaning as defined in section 19-534 of this chapter.
(b) "For-hire vehicle base station" shall mean a commission licensed base with a license base number that manages, organizes or dispatches any for-hire vehicle.
2. As of the effective date of this subdivision:
(a) Any vehicle to be newly placed into service as a for-hire vehicle affiliated with a for-hire vehicle base station to which one thousand two hundred or more for-hire vehicles are affiliated, must be an accessible vehicle until such time as the provisions of subparagraph (c) of this paragraph are satisfied.
(b) Each for-hire vehicle base station to which one thousand two hundred or more for-hire vehicles are affiliated, shall have no more than ninety days to begin to convert its affiliated vehicles that it replaces or retires to accessible vehicles until five percent of its affiliated vehicles are accessible vehicles.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (b) of this paragraph, by January first, two thousand eighteen all for-hire vehicles base stations to which one thousand two hundred or more vehicles are affiliated shall, by January first, two thousand twenty-two, convert its affiliated vehicles to accessible vehicles until at least fifty percent of all such vehicles are accessible vehicles.
Ninety days after the effective date of this subdivision, for-hire vehicle base stations to which one thousand two hundred or more vehicles are affiliated must submit a plan which shall include a schedule to comply with this subdivision, for the approval of the commission.
(d) Beginning on the effective date of this subdivision, a moratorium is hereby placed on the licensing of any new for-hire vehicle base station or for-hire vehicle provided, however, that a for-hire vehicle base station with fewer than one thousand two hundred affiliated vehicles may add affiliated vehicles until such base has an additional twenty percent of the number of affiliated vehicles it had on the effective date of this subdivision if an environmental impact statement conducted by the New York city department of environmental protection finds that adding such new vehicles will not negatively affect the environment.
3. Failure to comply with the provisions of paragraph two of this subdivision shall constitute a violation punishable by a fine of not less than fifty dollars and not more than one hundred fifty dollars per day per car from the date a violation occurred until the date such violation is cured. A violation may also be grounds for revocation or denial of licensing, or renewal thereof, under this chapter.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed three years after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to for-hire vehicles; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
To establish uniformity in regulations related to wheelchair accessibility requirement for all for-hire vehicles in New York City.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends subdivisions u and v of section 19-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 51 of the city of new York for the year 1996, by amending the definitions of "black car" and "luxury limousine" as defined by these respective sections to include such vehicles that "and/or are covered by the New York black car operators' injury compensation fund, inc. pursuant to section one hundred sixty-dd of the executive law."
Section 2 amends section 10-506 of the administrative code of the city of New York by adding a new subdivision n to establish similar requirements found in section 19-534 of the administrative code of the city of New York that set forth accessibility requirements so that accessibility requirements apply to all for hire vehicles as defined in section 1.
Section 3 of the bill sets forth an immediate effective date.
Justification
Currently the taxi cab and street hail livery industries in New York City are proceeding with an historic mandate that 50% off all vehicles in the five boroughs need to be wheelchair accessible by 2020. In an effort to protect and ensure the significant strides being made to ease and accommodate the transportation needs of the handicapped and physically disabled members of the New York City communities, the proposed bill seeks to apply these forward thinking requirements to all for-hire vehicles operating in New York City. In an effort to protect small business operating vehicle fleets of limited size, the proposed bill affects only fleet sizes of 1,200 or more for-hire vehicles.
Prior legislative history
2015-16: S.4482-A/A.7203-A (Pichardo)
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.