Transportation Access

Suffolk Transit Seeks to Reduce Paratransit No-Shows

    The Suffolk County Disabilities Advisory Board is looking for ways to reduce late cancellations and no-shows on the Suffolk County Accessible Transit (SCAT) paratransit system following a federal review of the service.

    In April 2011, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a tri-annual report on SCAT that cited a high number of no-shows and late cancellations. The Department of Public Works (DPW) that runs SCAT responded with a proposal to decrease the advance reservation time from 7 days to 3 in the hopes of reducing the no-show rate.

State to Provide Funds for Long Island Bus

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is postponing proposed cuts to Long Island Bus following a pledge by the New York State Senate to fund the service through the end of the year.

    The Senate has promised an additional $8.6 million on top of the $52.4 million already allocated to the serve in the 2011-12 state budget. The additional funds will enable the MTA to continue running Long Island Bus service through the end of 2011, at which point Nassau County plans to privatize the service.

MTA Proposes Long Island Bus and Able-Ride Cuts

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is proposing service reductions to Long Island Bus and Able-Ride that could impact half of the bus lines in Nassau County.

    Long Island Bus currently operates like a private bus service through a contract with Nassau County, which expects a $24 million budget shortfall this year for the service.

Suffolk Organization Starts Transportation Committee

    Suffolk Independent Living Organization (SILO) has launched a transportation committee to provide education to transit riders with disabilities and feedback to the county on paratransit and public transit service.

    SILO started the committee in early November to address issues related to Suffolk County Accessible Transportation (SCAT) and fixed-route buses, with the over-arching goal of improving transit for people with disabilities in the county through advocacy.

Nassau County Seeks to Privatize Long Island Bus

    Nassau County has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) that would privatize Long Island Bus, removing it from the control of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

    Long Island Bus is owned by Nassau County and operated by the MTA. The RFP was released September 14 following ongoing conflict with the MTA, which has proposed funding reductions for the service due to an $800 million budget shortfall this year.

Gotham Gazette Story Features Transit Issues

    Gotham Gazette has published a lengthy online story about transportation accessibility challenges in New York City called "Much of Transit System Remains 'Out of Service' for the Disabled."

    Journalist Jillian Jones provides an overview of historical and current issues within the transit system, including the limited number of accessible taxis, lawsuits against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and elevator outages. She interviews Jim Weisman of the United Spinal Association, Deirdre Parker of the MTA and Edith Prentiss of Disabled in Action and provides links to public investigations and reports.

    Click here to read the article.

City Council Holds Hearing on Access-A-Ride Cuts

    The New York City Council examined impacts of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) cuts to Access-A-Ride at a hearing October 7.   

    The Council’s committees on aging and disabilities questioned Joseph Smith, senior vice president of New York City Transit (NYCT) Buses and Steve Lopiano, acting vice president of paratransit about service changes.

    Forty percent of Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers have already experienced service changes and the MTA plans to expand the changes throughout the system next year.    

MTA Cancels Access-A-Ride Contracts

    Hundreds of drivers and other employees for two Access-A-Ride contracting companies will lose their jobs by the end of the year due to sudden contract cancellations by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

    Atlantic Paratrans of NYC Inc. had just signed a ten-year contract with the MTA to provide services for Access-A-Ride last spring, and the MTA unexpectedly discontinued that deal on October 1, said Carolyn Daly, who represents the company.

    “We feel strongly that they did not negotiate in good faith with us,” said Daly, president of Brink Public Affairs LLC. She said the company is considering legal action against the MTA.

Transit Advocates Announce Lawsuit Against MTA

   By Emily F. Keller

    Transportation accessibility advocates have used public forums and rallies to protest t he Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) wide-ranging service cuts. Now they are taking legal action.

    Activists stood outside Brooklyn Borough Hall August 17 to announce that they are suing the MTA and its New York City Transit (NYCT) division for cutting and restructuring 33 Brooklyn bus routes, including the elimination of the B39 and B51 routes.

    The cuts took effect June 27 and include changes to subways and Access-A-Ride, which has implemented a reduced trip length for riders who are deemed able to walk from a subway or bus station to their destination.

    The plaintiffs in the case are RueZalia Watkins (pictured), Anthony Trocchia and Clara Reiss – who are unable to use subways due to mobility impairments – as well as Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York (DIA) and the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled.

    “Everyone in New York has to have access – not access by appointment,” Watkins said, referring to Access-A-Ride, which requires advance reservations to use. “As long as we sit and stay in our homes and we don’t stand up, they will continue to make cuts," she said about the protest.

MTA Protest: Advocates Demonstrate at Borough Hall

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has made wide-ranging service cuts despite citywide community and political efforts to stop them, including an 11th hour protest at Brooklyn Borough Hall on behalf of people with disabilities and seniors.

    The MTA has cut the V and W subway lines, decreased train frequency, eliminated more than 30 bus routes and reduced service on others. The cuts are part of an effort to plug an $800 million budget gap and are expected to save the transit provider $93 million annually.

    The MTA backtracked on a plan to withdraw funding for student MetroCards.