Int 0232-2014

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 19-538 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows: � 19-538 Vision impairment accessibility requirements. a. For the purposes of this section, "accessible to people with vision impairments" shall mean a taxicab or HAIL vehicle that is equipped with instructions for contacting the commission in Braille and large-print text and if such taxicab or HAIL vehicle has payment technology [installed], such technology must provide a payment option to permit visually impaired passengers to pay unassisted. Such payment option shall have audio instruction and shall have audible announcements of the initial charge, the fare periodically during the trip, at the end of the trip, and when there is a rate code change and/or toll charge, in such manner as provided for and adopted by the commission. If such payment technology is not installed in a taxicab or HAIL vehicle, then no payment technology shall be placed into a taxicab or HAIL vehicle unless the commission has consulted with advocates for and members of the visually impaired community regarding such technology. b. Commencing May 1, 2013, all taxicabs must be accessible to people with vision impairments. Commencing January 1, 2015, all HAIL vehicles must be accessible to people with vision impairments. The instructions about contacting the commission described in subdivision a of this section shall be on the same side and in the same passenger compartment in each taxicab or HAIL vehicle, and the payment technology described in subdivision a of this section if installed in a taxicab or HAIL vehicle shall be in the same passenger compartment in each such taxicab or HAIL vehicle. c. The commission may by rule establish greater levels of accessibility for taxicabs or HAIL vehicles than those required by this section. � 2. This local law shall take effect immediately 3/13/14 LS#1040/2014 Int. No. 1123/2013