Res 0268-2026

Res. No. 268 ..Title Resolution calling on the MTA and NYCTA to adopt federally-recommended measures to ensure that access-a-ride serves New Yorkers on-time ..Body By Council Members Lee, Brooks-Powers, Hudson, Narcisse and Louis Whereas, since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the federal government has mandated the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public settings, including in transportation; and Whereas, the ADA mandated that public entities provide individuals with disabilities accessible forms of transportation; and Whereas, Title II of the ADA holds that the failure of a public entity to provide individuals with disabilities a level of transportation services comparable to those enjoyed by the rest of the public amounts to discrimination; and Whereas, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Transit Authority established the Access-A-Ride paratransit program to fulfill in part its obligation to provide accessible transportation options; and Whereas, an investigation by the Department of Justice found in October 2022 that Access-A-Ride consistently fails to provide New Yorkers with disabilities with transportation comparable to that available to non-disabled MTA riders; and Whereas, the investigation found that Access-A-Ride routinely fails to provide timely drop-offs and reasonable travel times, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA lack performance standards for on-time Access-a-Ride drop-offs, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA do not collect and maintain data on paratransit drop off times, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA do not analyze drop-off time performance, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA do not incentivize contractors to meet timely drop-off standards or impose consequences for failure to meet such standards, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA do not have a standard to prevent excessively long trips, defined as those that take 15 minutes longer than traveling between the same two points by fixed route transit, and Whereas, MTA and NYCTA do not conduct analyses of comparable trip time for Access-A-Ride, and Whereas, the Department of Justice has said that it may pursue a lawsuit against MTA and NYCTA if the entities do not address the deficiencies mentioned above, now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the MTA and NYCTA to adopt federally-recommended measures to ensure that access-a-ride serves New Yorkers on-time. AY LS #12465/12466/12467/12468/12469/12470 Res. #0323-2024 1/2/2026 11:25 AM 2