BILL NUMBER: S7611B
SPONSOR: BYNOE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the transportation law,
in relation to creating a plan to increase the availability of wheel-
chair accessible vehicles in New York state outside of the city of New
York
 
PURPOSE:
To direct the Department of Motor Vehicles to create a comprehensive
plan to increase the availability and access to wheelchair accessible
vehicles serving for-hire in all counties across New York State outside
of New York City to determine if there is an accessibility desert due to
an insufficient number of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The plan shall
include benchmarks, suggested grant programs, and incentives to increase
the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles. If the department deter-
mines that a county lacks adequate resources to meet the needs of indi-
viduals requiring wheelchair accessible vehicles, the department shall
create a plan to meet the benchmarks established, pursuant to this act.
This shall allow local authorities to establish policies that improve
mobility transportation options for individuals who are reliant on the
use of a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 provides the Legislative Intent.
Section 2 adds a definition of wheelchair accessible vehicles to the
Vehicle and Traffic Law as a new section 159-b.
Section 3 adds a new section, section 224-b, to the Vehicle and Traffic
Law. The following subdivisions comprise Section 3: Subdivision 1
directs the commissioner to create a plan of each county's data to
determine if there is an insufficient number of wheelchair accessible
vehicles by use of a benchmark developed through analysis of U.S. Census
Bureau data on the prevalence of ambulatory disabilities.
Subdivision 2 establishes the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Plan Map,
which would include all information compiled in Subdivision one and
existing county policies, programs, or laws which set guidelines regard-
ing wheelchair accessible vehicles. The information made in the plan
shall be made available to the public on the department's website.
Subdivision 3 establishes that upon completion of the plan, the depart-
ment, in consultation with the office for people with developmental
disabilities and the department of health, shall assess county-level
data and establish benchmarks based on United States census bureau Amer-
ican community survey data on ambulatory disabilities. Such benchmarks
are to be included in the plan, along with recommendations for grant
programs and tax incentives, to encourage engagement in an effort to
provide transportation options to expand the availability of wheelchair
accessible vehicles. The plan should also include identification of
pre-existing fiscal resources which are available to transportation
network companies, other for-hire entities, and indiyiduals who possess
qualifying wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Subdivision 4 adds that if the department determines that a county lacks
an adequate plan to meet the needs of individuals requiring wheelchair
accessible vehicles, the department shall, in consultation with: (a) the
county or any other relevant governmental entity, (b) transportation
network companies, (c) other for-hire entities, and (d) individuals who
possess wheelchair accessible vehicles, create a plan to meet the bench-
marks established pursuant to subdivision three of this section. The
commissioner shall then publish the findings, and subsequent plan, on
the department's website and provide notice to each affected county.
Section 4 amends the closing paragraph of section 151 of the transporta-
tion law and adds a new subdivision 13 which specifies that, for the
purpose of this law, the department would be specifically able to create
the plan and issue guidelines for municipalities as it relates to wheel-
chair accessible vehicles.
Section 5 provides the effective date of the legislation.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Outside of New York City, which is subject to a Federal Court Order in
Taxis For All Campaign v. Taxi and Limousine Commission requiring the
City to ensure 50% of their taxis are wheelchair accessible vehicles,
there are no uniform Statewide regulations either defining a wheelchair
accessible vehicle, or an outline of substantive information on the
number of wheelchair accessible vehicles which are available across the
State and what would be necessary to provide equal transportation access
to persons who make use of a wheelchair or mobility aid. For example, a
person who uses a wheelchair could get a taxi from JFK Airport to go to
Nassau County, but then while in Nassau County, such an individual is
unable to access a wheelchair accessible vehicle to return to JFK
Airport.
This bill seeks to direct the New York State Commissioner of the Depart-
ment of Motor Vehicles to create a plan to increase the availability of
wheelchair accessible vehicles in every county of the State outside the
City of New York. Each county shall provide the department with relevant
data necessary to complete such plan. The information collected and
compiled into this plan will include: the number of for-hire operators
within each county; the size of the fleet of each transportation network
company or for-hire operator; the number of wheelchair accessible vehi-
cles in each fleet; and any county policies or laws governing the avail-
ability or licensing of wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Such plan would be made available to all stakeholders and the public
through a public facing dashboard available on the department's website.
Upon completion of the plan, the department, in consultation with the
office for people with developmental disabilities and the department of
health, shall assess county-level data and establish benchmarks based on
United States census bureau American community survey data on ambulatory
disabilities.
Such benchmarks are to be included in the plan, along with recommenda-
tions for grant programs and tax incentives, to encourage engagement in
an effort to provide transportation options to expand the availability
of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The plan will also include identifi-
cation of pre-existing fiscal resources which are available to transpor-
tation network companies, other for-hire entities, and individuals who
possess qualifying wheelchair accessible vehicles.
This bill ensures that if the department were to determine that a county
lacks adequate resources to meet the needs of these individuals, the
department shall remedy this by creating a plan to meet the benchmarks
established in this law, in consultation with: the county or any other
relevant governmental entities, transportation network companies, other
for-hire entities, and individuals who possess qualifying wheelchair
accessible vehicles. The initial findings, along with the subsequent
plan to meet these benchmarks, will be published on the department's
website. Through this law, the State would have the knowledge and data
to better provide services to individuals who use a wheelchair or mobil-
ity aid by promoting the use of wheelchair accessible vehicles in muni-
cipalities across the State.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2026: S. 7611-A: Referred to Transportation
2025: S. 7611-A: Passed Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

Statutes affected:
S7611A: 151 transportation law
S7611B: 151 transportation law