THE COUNCIL OF

THE CITY OF NEW YORK

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224

Patrick J. Foye Chairman and CEO, MTA 2 Broadway New York, NY 10004

December 18, 2019

Dear Governor Cuomo and MTA Chair Foye:

In response to your November 11, 2019 letter requesting additional City funds to pay for the on-demand Access-A-Ride pilot, we urge you to commit to maintaining and expanding this innovative program without restrictive rules that will ruin the program for current and future users alike.

As you know, two years ago, the MTA started a pilot program to give 1,200 New Yorkers with disabilities and seniors who use paratransit the ability to call a ride when they need it, where they need it – in other words, “on demand.”

Although on-demand Access-A-Ride trips cost about half of what traditional paratransit trips do, the MTA is now planning to severely restrict the number of on-demand rides that people in the pilot program take – to a mere sixteen a month – and to limit the cost per ride to just $15 (as clocked by a taxi meter) – an absurdly low cap that will restrict riders to the shortest of trips. This would have an enormous negative impact on riders who depend on the pilot program, and would put the future of on-demand paratransit in jeopardy.

Furthermore, by expanding the pilot as advocates urge – without restrictions on rides – to incorporate a larger, representative sample of Access-A-Ride users’ age, geographic diversity, and trip usage, we can gather reliable data on the true cost of this service.

Riders have called this service “life-changing” and praised it repeatedly at MTA meetings because they no longer have to depend on the archaic and unreliable Access-A-Ride, which requires them to book their rides at least one day in advance, takes them for a ride through multiple boroughs, and makes riders endure long wait times for pick-ups.

On-demand paratransit is one of the few MTA programs to win nearly universal praise from the disability community, seniors, transit advocates, and struggling medallion taxi drivers (who often provide on-demand service). The MTA’s proposal would effectively end the flexibility that on-demand users have come to depend on to get to jobs, school, healthcare appointments, and social engagements, without having to plan their schedules a day or two in advance. With nearly seven out of ten New Yorkers with disabilities unemployed, on-demand paratransit is one key way of helping people get and keep jobs.

Ultimately, our goal is to allow all Access-A-Ride users to travel with the flexibility the current on-demand program offers.

We are committed to working closely with you to aggressively secure funding through various state, city, and other sources to ensure the success and growth of this innovative and vital transit lifeline – provided that you protect on-demand service from restrictions that will undermine its success.

Sincerely,

Council Member Deborah Rose

Council Member Diana Ayala

Council Member Justin Brannan

Council Member Margaret Chin

Council Member Stephen Levin

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez

Council Member Brad Lander Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel

Council Member Chaim Deutsch

Council Member Mark Treyger

Council Member Donovan Richards Council Member Ben Kallos

Council Member Keith Powers Council Member Antonio Reynoso

Council Member Helen Rosenthal

Council Member Peter Koo

Council Member Francisco Moya Council Member Carlina Rivera

Council Member Carlos Menchaca Council Member Mark Levine

Council Member Barry Grodenchik

Council Member Farah Louis

Council Member Karen Koslowitz

Council Member Andrew Cohen

Council Member Adrienne Adams

Council Member Robert Cornegy Council Member Laurie Cumbo

Council Member Vanessa Gibson Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer