Out of Service: Creating an Equitable Transit System for New York City

Introduction

Every day, millions of people ride New York City’s subways, light rail systems, and buses. For many, steep stairs, narrow walkways, confusing station layouts, and unintelligible loudspeaker announcements make navigating the subway challenging and stressful. For New Yorkers with disabilities (an estimated 930,100 [1] in New York City, and over 3 million in New York State [2]), these conditions may make subway ridership impossible. While the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has made significant improvements in its accessibility in recent decades, New York City’s transit system remains behind other major U.S. cities and cities worldwide. The lack of elevators and unobstructed pathways combined with unpredictable service makes trip planning extremely difficult, impacting disabled people’s ability to get to work, school, social events, and appointments.

It is time for the MTA to make reaching one hundred percent accessibility in all stations its top priority, including not only installing elevators and removing physical barriers but also other accessibility improvements including wayfinding indicators and apps, tactile pathways, hearing loop technology, Braille signage, and closed captioning for announcements on train screens. The MTA has prioritized elevator installation in its accessibility improvement plan, but that is not the only technology needed to open the subways to people of all abilities. Until transportation is fully accessible and available to all people with disabilities, New York City cannot expect to eliminate other persistent inequities for disabled people such as underemployment, unemployment, and accessible housing shortages.

In April of 2023, a federal judge approved a settlement to a class-action lawsuit requiring the MTA to equip 95 percent of subway and Staten Island Railroad stations with elevators and/or ramps by the year 2055. [3][4] New York City’s transit system as it exists now has created a two-tier system, with its accessible options providing far worse service. This settlement is a first step towards creating an equitable transit system that allows all New Yorkers and its visitors to fully access all of its services, but there is much work to be done.

Accessibility Benefits Us All

This report, first and foremost, seeks to outline the inequities disabled New Yorkers experience while using public transit in New York City and recommend how the city can make this system fully accessible and inclusive. It is, simply put, the right thing to do: people with disabilities have the same right to fully access city services as people without disabilities. The law also increasingly demands that barriers to full integration and engagement in public life be remedied and addressed.

Improving accessibility also benefits us all—and not only in the way that, for example, elevators make it easier for parents with strollers to get to the subway platform. People with disabilities are our family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and members of our communities—and almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability in their life [5]—and everyone’s life is improved when these barriers to full participation in all our city has to offer are removed.

Current MTA Accessibility

Elevators and Escalators

The New York City subway system, including the Staten Island Railroad, has 493 stations, of which 141—29 percent—are accessible via elevators. [6][7] The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), through its subsidiary agency, New York City Transit (NYCT), bears responsibility for maintaining, inspecting, and repairing accessible services throughout the subway system. However, due to frequent elevator outages, the number of accessible stations on a day-to-day basis is actually lower. In addition, not all stations that have elevators are fully accessible. Some stations, such as the 50th Street C/E station and the Dyckman Street 1 station, are only accessible in one direction, yet are defined as accessible by the MTA. [8]

Recently, the MTA announced a plan to reassign 19 elevator operators at stations in Washington Heights. [9] These elevator operators, many of whom are disabled themselves, provide important assistance to customers with disabilities, and many passengers feel safer in the presence of these staff. A lawsuit filed seeking to prevent these reassignments states that many elevator operators are placed there because they are unable to perform other duties in a station, like sweeping and mopping, and this reassignment would put them out of work.

R211 Train Cars

R211 Train CaA new R211 A train car as it enters the station at 59th St-Columbus Circle.r.jpg

In March 2023, the MTA announced that a new train car, the R211, would begin service on the A subway line, with more R211s to be added to A train service in the coming months, and, in October 2023, it was announced R211s would be added to the Staten Island Railway by the end of 2024. [10] These new cars have several accessibility features: wider doors, more open space for people using wheelchairs and other mobility devices, LED lights that indicate when the doors are opening and closing, flexible seating, and high-contrast directional decals on the floors. They also have LED screens displaying service and train information as well as advertisements, although these screens do not provide closed captioning for announcements made over the train’s PA system.

Accessible Station Lab

From October 16, 2019, to January 17, 2020, the MTA used Jay St-MetroTech Station in downtown Brooklyn as a “living lab” to test accessibility features and allow customer feedback directly to NYCT. [11] (All of the physical changes, such as the boarding area markers and the tactile guideways, still remain at the station.) At this station, the MTA tested more than a dozen new accessibility features, including adaptations for customers with mobility and intellectual disabilities, customers who are blind or have low vision, and customers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This included physical infrastructure, like tactile signs and maps and textured floor tiles, and smartphone apps that gave customers tools like audio navigation, high-contrast maps, and a step-by-step breakdown of the experience of riding the subway.

A brightly colored blue tactile guideway at Jay St-Metrotech.

The apps tested are free for riders, and include:

MagnusCards breaks down the experiences of riding the subway for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and other cognitive disabilities.
NaviLens provides sign information in audio for people who are blind or have low vision, and NaviLensGO creates dynamic visual navigation.

A NaviLens QR code and a tactile guideway leading to the R train at Jay St-Metrotech.

Aira connects people who are blind or have low vision to professional agents who will help them navigate through the station.
ClickAndGo Wayfinding offers detailed step-by-step audio directions, location descriptions, and more, all with accompanying high-contrast maps.
Waymap calibrates customers’ walking style to give detailed step-by-step audio guidance for people who are blind or have low vision.

Induction Loop Technology at Bowling Green

Induction loop technology, also known as “hearing loop,” is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids or cochlear implants, which allows people using assistive listening devices to better hear and understand audio announcements and conversations in public spaces. [12][13] The hearing loop transmits sound signals directly to the hearing aid or cochlear implant without interfering with any other aspect of the announcement system. [14] As part of the MTA’s Accessible Station Lab project, induction loop technology is available on the uptown platform of the Bowling Green 4/5 station. Additionally, all subway station booths in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens (except for those under construction) have induction loop technology. [15]

Access-a-Ride

The MTA operates a shared-ride paratransit service, called Access-a-Ride (AAR), for people with disabilities that prevent them from using the subway or public buses for some or all of their transit needs. [16] AAR is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). [17] Service is available in all five boroughs and “within an area three quarters of a mile beyond fixed-route service across the NYC border to nearby parts of Nassau and Westchester counties” for the same price as full fare on public transit (personal care attendants may accompany an AAR customer for free). AAR customers must book their trips one to two days in advance, and must provide specific times and addresses. [18] New Yorkers with disabilities or certain health conditions must go through a process to determine their eligibility for AAR, which includes an in-person assessment at one of six facilities in the city. [19] Ironically, the offices themselves are not fully accessible as many have heavy, non-automatic doors at the entrances and inside the offices, as well as to the restrooms, and chairs often do not have armrests. [20] Information provided in print needs to be accessible in other formats so that customers who are blind, who have low vision, who have a print disability (like dyslexia), or who speak another language can understand this information.

AAR has been heavily criticized by its customers and disability advocates, colloquially dubbing it “Stress-A-Ride.” [21] Complaints include drivers who are poorly trained in assisting passengers with disabilities, unreliable and inefficient service, and long wait times. Customers only have a five-minute window to meet their drivers outside for pickup—which can be problematic for customers with mobility challenges, especially in inclement weather. However, customers are expected to wait for drivers up to 30 minutes after their pickup time, and AAR currently considers drivers “on time” as long as they are in that 30-minute window (although the MTA plans to shorten this window to 20 minutes by September of 2023). Customers also have to predict exactly when they need to leave for a destination, its address, how long they will spend at that destination, and at what time they should leave [22]—which does not allow for last-minute plan changes that would typically pose no problem for a person using the subway or bus. In fact, customers’ accounts can be suspended if they repeatedly cancel rides less than two hours before their trip, or miss too many rides. [23] Since rides are shared, trips can be lengthy and inefficient as drivers pick up other customers all around the city. [24]

AAR’s reliability has continued to deteriorate in recent years, even as its ridership approaches 80 percent of its pre-pandemic levels. [25] On-time performance, driver no-shows, customer complaints, and call center wait times are all increasing. In August 2021, on-time performance for broker car service providers sunk to 70 percent, the seventh consecutive month of missing an 85 percent goal of drivers arriving no more than 15 minutes after the promised pick-up time. For AAR customers who must travel to work, school, or social events, this leaves virtually no other option to reliably get to places on time.

Access-a-Ride passengers often experience serious safety issues when utilizing the service. Many times, passengers using the AAR broker service do not receive a seat belt and shoulder belt as required by the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1229-C. [26] Brokers sometimes do not properly secure passengers’ wheelchairs—that is, securely fasten the wheelchair to the ground at all four points—as set forth in the training that all drivers who receive a license from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission are required to do. [27][28] Moreover, AAR customers who are blind or have low vision are placed at risk of being struck or killed by a car, since drivers assigned to pick them up consistently fail to call out to the customer and assist them to the vehicle, even though this is required. Finally, unlike MTA employees who are required to understand and be understood in English, there is no such requirement for broker drivers, which can be a serious safety issue for AAR passengers. These issues need to be addressed by the MTA’s NYCT Access-a-Ride Unit, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the New York City Police Department. These three agencies should meet with AAR customers to resolve these serious safety concerns before a passenger is severely injured or killed.

In a 2018 audit, then-New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer found that 43 percent of AAR complaints remained unresolved past the MTA’s own deadlines, and that 45 percent of these overdue complaints were not even evaluated within eight weeks. [29] Some of these complaints involved serious safety issues, including reckless driving, drivers not properly securing a wheelchair, and using cell phones while driving. The audit found that NYCT does not adequately track complaint referrals and resolutions, had insufficient controls over the Contract Management Unit’s handling of referred complaints, inadequate reviews of incident data, and inadequate controls to enable it to provide reasonable assurance that AAR incidents are completely and accurately recorded in its database. [30]

Most recently, a 2022 investigation by the Department of Justice found that Access-a-Ride is not in compliance with the ADA, and that the paratransit service “fails to provide service that

is ‘comparable to the level of designated public transportation services provided to individuals without disabilities using such system.’” [31] Specifically, the DOJ focused on AAR’s high rates of untimely drop-offs and excessively long travel times.

Buses

New York City Transit’s local buses are accessible to those who use mobility devices and those who are unable to go up and down stairs. While slower than the subway, all buses are equipped with low floor ramps and two spaces for people in wheelchairs to ride the bus. If both of these spots are taken, a passenger in a wheelchair must wait for the next bus and hope that there is an available space. Express buses do have lifts, but they are unwieldy and difficult for drivers to operate. It can take upwards of 15 minutes for a person in a wheelchair to get on or off an express bus, if they are able to get on at all, and it can take longer if the road crew or the FDNY has to be summoned. Some disabled riders have reported having to train drivers on how to operate the lift if they happen to know how it works. Additionally, many bus stops do not have seating or coverage from bad weather conditions, like rain and snow.

In July 2023, the MTA announced that they will add Q’Straint‘s Quantum Self Securement Stations to ten buses on the M7 line. [32] These devices allow passengers in wheelchairs to secure their own chairs by backing into the device and pressing a button, which then locks in place arms that secure a wheelchair’s wheels. To release the device, the passenger pushes the button again. This device will streamline boarding for wheelchair users, who at present must wait for the driver to exit their seat and manually secure the wheelchair. About 800 buses now also have flexible seating, which allows seats to be flipped up to make space for people who use mobility devices or who are traveling with strollers or carts.

2020-2024 MTA Capital Program

The MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Program went into effect on January 1, 2020. [33] It includes $54.8 billion of investments in the region’s subways, buses, commuter railroads, bridges, and tunnels. Of this, more than $5.2 billion is allocated to accessibility improvements. [34] The Capital Program aims to make 43 percent of NYCT subway stations fully accessible, so that no subway rider is more than two stations away from an accessible station. The proposed Capital Program pledges that NYCT will significantly increase the pace of investment to make more stations accessible to customers with disabilities. These accessibility improvements, however, appear to be limited to elevator installation and repairs, and the addition of ramps.

Needs of MTA Riders with Disabilities

People with Mobility Disabilities

Subway riders with mobility disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs and mobility devices, rely on elevators and sometimes escalators to access platforms and trains. Elevators are also important for people traveling with strollers and luggage. Only a fraction of subway stations have elevators, and these elevators experience frequent outages. Escalators are becoming more unreliable; they were available 92 percent of the time in 2018 compared to 96 percent in 2012. [35] A class-action lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Disability Rights Advocates in 2017 alleged as many as 25 elevator outages per day. [36]

An out-of-service elevator at Jay St-Metrotech.

Even when elevators are working, some stations with elevators are only partially accessible, with an elevator only connecting the street to the mezzanine, or the mezzanine to the platform, but not both; some stations with multiple train lines are only accessible to some of the lines, like the 168th Street 1/A/C station in Manhattan, where the A/C station is accessible but the 1 station is not; and some stations only have elevators that serve trains going in one direction. Unreliable and inaccurate reporting of elevator and escalator outages makes planning trips difficult for those who rely on them. Elevator signage is sometimes unclear or missing, making elevators hard to locate. [37] Lack of cleanliness and sanitation, poor ventilation, and unpleasant smells in subway elevators are also common complaints.

The accessible station lab piloted accessible pathway and alternate route signage, which included 15 new diagrams that map alternate routes in the event of an elevator outage and highlight the accessible path of travel from the street to each platform. [38] New customer information centers (CICs) also displayed escalator and elevator outage information on screens. These features should be expanded to all stations, beginning with stations with elevators, so people who rely on elevators can accurately plan their routes. Additionally, this information needs to be available in an audio format for customers who are blind or have low vision and those with print disabilities, and should be presented in multiple languages both in text and in audio format.

A sign showing alternate accessible travel information on an elevator at 14th St-8th Ave.

Wheelchair users and riders with mobility devices also can use ramps, and the MTA has more frequently been turning to ramps as a way to make stations more accessible, as they cost less to build and do not break down like elevators and escalators do. [39] However, not all subway stations have ramps. There are currently 26 ramps in 14 stations, but some existing ramps pose challenges, like the ramp on the north- and south-bound A/C/E platforms in the 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal Station, which is only wide enough for one user at a time. [40]

A person rolling a suitcase up the narrow ramp at 42nd St-PABT.

Some ramps are steep, making it difficult for wheelchair users to roll themselves up and dangerous to go down. Other ramps are too steep to meet ADA standards, like in the 14th Street–8th Avenue A/C/E/L station. [41] It is also important to remember that ramps and elevators are not interchangeable, and elevators should not be excluded from station upgrades. It may take a person with a stroller or a motorized wheelchair, for example, the same amount of time to use a ramp as it would to use an elevator, but a person using crutches may find it significantly more laborious to use a ramp as opposed to an elevator.

The steep, ADA non-compliant ramp at 14th St-8th Ave, with a sign warning customers that the ramp is not wheelchair accessible.

Gaps between the train platform and the train can be dangerous when boarding or exiting, causing people to fall onto the tracks or have their mobility devices get stuck. The ADA mandates the following horizontal and vertical tolerances for train cars [42]:

A table showing the ADA mandates for horizontal and vertical tolerances for train cars.

Where the gap between the train car and the platform exceeds these tolerances, train cars are required to use lifts, ramps, or bridge plates to allow passengers with mobility devices to board. Passengers who use wheelchairs and mobility devices report, however, that the gap between the train car and the platform often exceeds the tolerances outlined in the ADA, forcing passengers to wait for another train or not board at all. [44] Some stations have raised platforms to accommodate the vertical gap between the train and the platform, but many stations do not, and the raised sections of the platform do not always align with the boarding area. [45] Stairs and support beams sometimes block designated boarding areas, which makes boarding and exiting the train difficult and unsafe for people with mobility devices and people who are blind or have low vision.

The door of a train opening in front of a support beam on the 1 train platform at 59th St-Columbus Circle.

Many people with these disabilities report anxiety and fear when boarding and exiting trains or avoidance of the subway entirely due to the risk of falling onto the tracks. In October 2022, three people with disabilities filed a class-action lawsuit against the MTA alleging that the dangerous and insurmountable gaps between the subway platform and train cars constitute discrimination against those with disabilities. [46] Regardless of the number and quality of elevators to help people reach the train platform, the subway will never be fully accessible if these gaps persist.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

When there are sudden service changes in the subway, passengers are typically notified via an announcement over the loudspeaker in the train or in the station. However, people who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to hear these announcements. In fact, with the high levels of ambient noise in the subway, announcements are often difficult even for hearing people to understand. Installing screens in subway cars and in stations that provide closed captioning for loudspeaker announcements would make the information reported accessible to people who cannot hear the announcements. [47] Many subway stations and newer subway cars already have screens installed that can provide closed captioning, but older train cars lack this technology, and the newer train cars that have LED screens use them for advertisements, not service information. Train cars that do have screens do not provide closed captioning for emergency or sudden announcements.

LED screens on an R211 A train car showing advertisements.

Some people who are deaf and hard of hearing wear hearing aids or have cochlear implants. Induction loop technology is currently available at all subway station booths in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, but it should be expanded to fully equip all stations and train cars with hearing loops. Additionally, installing ambient noise sensors, which monitor continuously changing ambient noise levels and electronically adjust the volume level of announcements, [48] in subway stations and train cars would make announcements easier to hear. Many times, announcements are unintelligible because the speaker itself needs to be replaced, especially in older train cars. Announcements should also be repeated more than once, to ensure that people have more than one chance to hear them in a noisy station. Lastly, the MTA should have more staff who are trained in basic sign language who can communicate important information to people who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as best practices for communicating with deaf people, as many do not know American Sign Language.

Blind People and People with Low Vision

Navigating the subway system is a very visual process: passengers use sight to read subway maps and signs detailing service changes, follow signs to the correct train platforms and exits, see where train doors are to board the train, stay away from the edge of the platform and other hazards, and walk up and down stairs. For people who are blind or have low vision, navigating the subway can be challenging and even dangerous; in April 2020, a blind man fell between train cars, instead of entering train doors, and onto the track. [49] (The man thankfully experienced only minor injuries.)

The MTA already provides some tactile and audio cues for people who are blind and have low vision, including audio guidance on subway card machines, high-contrast tactile strips along the edges of train platforms and at the top of stairs, and some Braille signage. However, not every station has all of these features. The ADA only requires high-contrast tactile strips—the bumpy yellow material that lines the edge of platforms so people can feel when they are near the edge—in key stations, and while the MTA has adopted a policy of of adding platform edge strips to non-key stations as well, there are still many stations without them. [50] These strips should also be at the top and on the last step on stairways, and to mark accessible boarding areas—although different types of train cars on the same platform could make marking boarding areas difficult.

A ground decal showing the route to the A, C, and F trains as well as the accessible boarding area and a brightly colored yellow tactile strip at the top of the stairs at Jay St-Metrotech.

Accessible Boarding Area @ 66th St-Lincoln Center (2): An accessible boarding area ground decal and ceiling sign at 66th St-Lincoln Center.

Similarly, tactile guideways help blind people and those with low vision (and sighted people who have difficulty navigating subway stations) make their way to the correct train platforms and exits. [51] These tactile guideways use different textures to indicate walkways and intersections, with nearby Braille signs for guidance. In addition to tactile guideways, some smartphone apps provide wayfinding guidance—including Aira, NaviLens, ClickAndGo Wayfinding, and Waymap. The MTA tested these apps at their Accessible Station Lab pilot, but they are not available for free at most other stations. In July 2023, the MTA marked the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by announcing more accessibility projects and station improvements, including new wayfinding features at 11 Upper West Side subway stations and all 24 stops on the M66 bus route in Manhattan. [52] The wayfinding features will include phone-based app technology that reads digital codes installed along the station.

A NaviLens QR code at 66th St-Lincoln Center. Customers can scan the code with the NaviLens app for information about the station.

There are existing best practices for wayfinding, of which the MTA follows few. The current system prioritizes aesthetics and a “non-cluttered” look, which makes navigation difficult for people who are blind or have low vision. Signage repeating vital information should be placed at “decision points,” or points where the navigator must make a wayfinding decision (i.e., go left or right, go upstairs or downstairs). [53] Information displayed on signs should be authoritative and unambiguous, in a large, high-contrast font for maximum readability.

Some signage is available in Braille, but posted subway maps are exclusively visual. In the accessible station lab, the MTA piloted tactile and interactive station environment maps. [54][55] These maps used high-contrast lettering as well as Braille, and the interactive station environment maps provided visual, audio, and tactile information to help customers get around the station. [56] These interactive maps highlighted the tactile guideway; gave the location of stairways, elevators, and station booths; and helped riders know what to expect on their trip through the mezzanine.

A Braille tactile map showing the 1 train route at 66th St-Lincoln Center.

Braille and tactile maps, as well as interactive station environment maps, should be available in all subway stations. Service changes are typically indicated through posted signage in stations and over the loudspeakers in stations and on train cars. Signs should use large fonts with high-contrast colors to maximize readability for people with low vision. Information presented on maps should also be available in an audio format, as many blind people do not read Braille. As previously mentioned, ambient noise sensors in stations and train cars would increase the clarity of verbal announcements for people who rely on them.

DeafBlind People

Those who are DeafBlind have unique needs for navigating public transportation. Co-navigators, sometimes called Support Service Providers, are specially trained sighted and hearing guides for people who are DeafBlind who can relay visual and environmental information in the DeafBlind person’s preferred mode of communication. [57] Co-navigators can assist DeafBlind people in any aspect of their lives, but would be especially essential for using the subway system. New York should establish a statewide service network of qualified and compensated co-navigators to serve DeafBlind New Yorkers. Many other states and localities provide co-navigator services which serve five to 100 people every year in each state. [58]

A bill in the New York State Legislature, S2503/A4926, sponsored by Senator Cordell Cleare and Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman, would establish a co-navigator service program. Under this bill, co-navigators would “assist the [DeafBlind] person to physically access the person's environment and to make informed decisions, including providing visual and environmental information or sighted guide services and assisting with communication accessibility by communicating in the preferred language and communication mode of the person who is DeafBlind.” [59][60]

People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

New York City’s subway system is large and complex, with frequent service changes that make navigation challenging for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and other cognitive disabilities. Subway stations can be directionally confusing and overwhelming, especially for people with sensory sensitivities. Subway stations—particularly those with multiple train lines—need clearer directional guidance with visible wayfinding markers. Brightly colored tactile guideways that help people who are blind and have low vision navigate stations are also helpful for people with IDDs, TBIs, and other cognitive disabilities.

Smartphone apps are especially helpful for subway riders with IDDs, TBIs, and other cognitive disabilities. Stations should be outfitted with beacon technology that can link to apps that help guide people through the station. MagnusCards, an app piloted at the accessible station lab, is geared towards people with IDDs, TBIs, and other cognitive disabilities. The app is a life-skills library with “card decks” that provide digital guides to daily activities and community locations. [61] Each “card deck” in the app provides step-by-step visual, audio and text instructions for navigating the station, using MetroCards, train rides and transfers, and reading station maps and signs. [62] MagnusCards currently offers ten free Card Decks for New York City’s subway, [63] but users report issues including an overreliance on text to communicate information text written at a higher reading level than is recommended for public information.

MagnusCards has partnered with other jurisdictions as well to support people with disabilities in their transit systems. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) launched an app that assists NFTA-Metro riders as well as air travelers at the Buffalo Airport by providing digital guides to help people access the airports, bus, and rail. [64] In England, the London Transit Commission (LTC) partnered with MagnusCards to integrate information about the city’s transit system into the mobile app. [65] The app provides guidance to users on matters such as planning a trip, purchasing fares, riding the bus with accessibility devices, safety and getting help, using a smart card, and utilizing LTC’s real-time information service.

People with Disabilities and the Police

People with disabilities―especially Black people with disabilities―are at increased risk of police interaction and violence. [66][67] There are many ways that disabilities can be mistaken for noncompliance, from a deaf person not hearing orders a police officer gives to a person with a developmental disability not understanding a police interaction to a person having a seizure being mistaken for having a substance-related episode. These misunderstandings can be traumatic or even deadly. Especially as police presence in the subway is increasing in the wake of violent incidents in the transit system, police officers and MTA employees should be trained in best practices for interacting with people with disabilities. In 2013, New York State announced that some police officers would receive non-mandatory training in interacting with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities [68]; this initiative should be expanded to all MTA employees and police officers in the city and state and made mandatory. Actions taken to ensure the safety of all people using the subway must explicitly include disabled people, as they are far more likely to be the victim of a crime than to perpetrate one.

Models in Accessibility

Washington, D.C.

All of Washington, D.C.’s 91 Metro stations are fully accessible to people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, with all of their stations providing stair-free access to the platforms and trains. [69] People who use wheelchairs can request a shuttle at no extra cost if an elevator is down at their preferred Metro station. [70] D.C. also provides MetroAccess Paratransit, a door-to-door ride-sharing service for people whose disabilities prohibit them from using the Metro or the bus, as well as Abilities-Ride, which allows customers with disabilities to take some of their trips provided by local taxicab companies, sedan and van companies, and national transportation network companies. [71][72]

D.C.’s Metro employs four full time professional travel trainers as well as two contract travel trainers in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. who teach customers with and without disabilities and senior citizens how to travel safely and independently on the accessible Metrobus and Metrorail public transportation systems. [73] In 2019, Metro announced development for a new smartphone app that would provide step-by-step audio directions to the next Metro or bus stop, when the next bus or train is coming, or where the route will take the user. [74] Much of the app’s technology relies on beacons, small devices that can be placed anywhere and interact with smartphones. There are already beacons at seven Metro stations. The app has significant benefits for the blind community, but is designed to assist riders with all disabilities: it will have special settings for individuals who use wheelchairs and will be able to send haptic alerts for deaf customers. For people with cognitive disabilities, there is an online feature that allows users to rehearse their trips. Although the app has yet to launch, in its 2021 capital budget, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority designated $9.2 million for bus stop beacon technology deployment. [75]

San Francisco

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), like Washington, D.C., is fully accessible to those with mobility disabilities. [76] The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has a number of accessible transportation services for senior citizens and people with disabilities. San Francisco’s network of Muni buses, Metro lines, and streetcars are fully accessible and cover all parts of the city. [77] All underground Muni Metro stations have elevators. [78] Like D.C., SFMTA provides travel training both individually and in groups. [79] In addition to paratransit van and taxi services for eligible customers, the Van Gogh shuttle service provided by San Francisco Paratransit will bring seven or more to and from social events anywhere in the city and the Shop-a-Round shuttle is a low-cost option that serves several local grocery stores and farmers markets. [80] San Francisco Paratransit provides pre-scheduled, door-to-door ADA van and taxi services. [81]

Boston

In terms of age, Boston’s public transit system is more comparable to New York’s, having begun running its street trolleys in the late 1880s. [82] In spite of its age, 98 percent of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or “the T”) underground subway stations are accessible, although it took a class-action lawsuit settlement, Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the 2000s for the MBTA to make its significant improvements. [83] One of these actions was creating the Department of System-Wide Accessibility in 2007, which oversees the accessibility of bus, subway, ferry, and commuter rail operations. Elevator maintenance also changed: MBTA elevators are now maintained year-round, resulting in system-wide uptime (the time elevators are operational) averaging 99.5 percent. The MBTA also improved its bus service for riders with accessibility needs in response to the settlement. All bus drivers are trained to serve riders with disabilities, and the purchase of hundreds of new low-floor buses has enabled the MBTA to retire every lift-equipped high-floor bus.

In collaboration with Raizlabs and Perkins Institute for the Blind, the T created the BlindWays app, which helps people who are blind or have low vision find bus stops. [84][85] The MBTA piloted the use of beacons with Blindways, which transmits a signal to app users translating into voiceover narration and cell phone vibrations, with vibrations becoming more intense as a user approaches the beacon located at the bus stop. [86] This helps users to more accurately find a bus stop, whereas the app without the beacons gets users within 30 feet of a stop. The MBTA installed beacons along two of its bus routes in early 2018 at a cost of less than $10,000. [87] The MBTA is also exploring similar indoor wayfinding technologies as well. [88]

Chicago

Similar to New York City and Boston, Chicago’s public transit system, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), began operating rapid transit in 1892. [89] Currently, 100 percent of CTA’s bus and rail fleet are fully accessible to those who require step-free access, and 103 out of 145 rail stations (about 70 percent) are accessible. [90] In July 2018, CTA released a blueprint to make the remaining 42 stations accessible, the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Strategic Plan. The ASAP plan outlines both short-term and long-term station accessibility project plans, including station concepts, cost estimates, and phasing. To create the ASAP plan, CTA formed the Infrastructure Accessibility Task Force, which was composed of mayoral staff, CTA and Chicago Department of Transportation staff, researchers from the University of Illinois, architects, and disability advocates.

Austin

People in Austin, Texas can use the Blind Square app to hear when the bus will arrive, where it will arrive, if there's a closure, and how to get to the stop. [91] This app is similar to the BlindWays app, providing its instructions through audio so people who are blind and have low vision can easily find bus stops and follow routes. Capital Metro’s Smart Beacon program, which partnered with tech companies Connecthings and BlueCats to create the app, uses Bluetooth technology to transmit data between buses and phones. CapMetro is getting feedback on its app from the National Federation for the Blind, the Texas School for the Blind, the Austin Council for the Blind, and the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center in Austin.

Singapore

Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system is considered to have one of the best public transportation systems in the world. [92] All MRT stations have at least one barrier-free route, ramps and lifts, as well as wheelchair-accessible restrooms and wider fare gates. Each train has two wheelchair-accessible cars, which are marked with stickers on the platform screen door and platform floor. [93] For those who are blind and have low vision, Braille plates in station elevators and tactile paving on the ground make it easier to navigate in the station. Station names and instructions for transfer are announced at every train stop. Deaf and hard of hearing riders can check for arrival times and destinations at the various screens located around the train platform, and all platform doors are also installed with flashing red lights, to indicate when the doors are closing.

Singapore’s buses are less accessible, with over 85 percent of their buses able to be accessed by a person using a wheelchair; importantly, however, over 95 percent of pedestrian walkways, taxi stands, and bus shelters in Singapore are barrier-free. [94] The MRT system is also piloting priority cabins for people with disabilities, families with young children, and the elderly: signs will be put up in these cabins to encourage passengers to allow these riders to board first, as well as keep wheelchair spaces free and give up their seats to those who need them more. [95] These cabins will be located near elevators where possible, and riders will be informed of the new initiative through video clips and station announcements which will be played at all stations on their North-East Line.

Blind bus riders and riders with low vision will be able to use a new app, Singapore announced in 2020, called Mobility Assistance for the Visually Impaired and Selected Users (MAVIS). [96] MAVIS alerts bus drivers to passengers with disabilities who are boarding or exiting, and allows blind riders and riders with low vision to activate audio announcements for arriving buses and upcoming bus stops.

Spain

In the cities of Barcelona, Madrid, and Murcia in Spain, blind commuters and commuters with low vision can use a NaviLens system to help them navigate. [97] Using the app and the camera of their smartphones, NaviLens users can scan their environment to locate tags, which are strategically positioned in bus stops and metro stations by elevators, platforms, stairs, escalators, and ticket machines. The tags are brightly colored squares on a black background, and the app will play an audible message on their device telling users at how many meters and in which direction they will find a needed location, like an elevator or ticket machine. Following a pilot on a small section of the transport network, Barcelona is extending the NaviLens system to its 2,400 bus stops and 159 metro stations as part of broader efforts to make the city’s transport network more accessible.

Hong Kong

Mass Rapid Transit (MTR) in Hong Kong is almost fully accessible, with 90 out of 93 stations accessible via ramps and elevators. [98] At stations where a ramp or elevator is not available, people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices can alert a staff member who will assist the rider with a stair lift or stair climber. Some MTR trains have a gap between the car and the platform that block people in wheelchairs or who use mobility devices from boarding the train. In these cases, riders can request that a staff member bring a ramp to bridge the gap; the staff member will call ahead to the rider’s destination to ensure that there is a ramp available when the rider exits the train.

Recommendations: Accessibility Improvements

Making Accessibility a Priority

The MTA needs a concrete plan to improve accessibility, with a timeline to reach full accessibility. The proposed Capital Program is an important step in improving accessibility for those with mobility disabilities, but lacks planning for improving accessibility for those with sensory and cognitive disabilities. The MTA should begin implementing the accessibility features in the pilot project at the Jay St-MetroTech station in other stations with the ultimate goal of making every subway station fully accessible to all people with disabilities, starting with additional pilot programs in some of New York City’s busiest subway stations—such as Times Square-42nd St (Manhattan), 74th St-Broadway/Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Ave (Queens), Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center (Brooklyn), and 161 St-Yankee Stadium (the Bronx). Of course, any accessibility plan must include the disabled community, with formal engagement to decide where priorities should be set.

In addition to the MTA’s planned accessibility upgrades excluding many disabilities, the pace at which the MTA has been making these improvements is entirely too slow. At the current pace of installing new elevators, the MTA would not reach full accessibility until roughly the year 2100. [99] The MTA Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment and the 2020-2024 Capital Program need clear policies to accelerate subway accessibility. New York State and the MTA must prioritize accessibility improvements by creating a centralized accessibility office.

Opportunities for Immediate Improvement

There are several improvements the MTA can begin making immediately, and at relatively low cost.

Improving Train Boarding

Train operators need clear stopping markers for the type of cars they are driving to assure that doors align properly with designated boarding areas, as well as indicators to ensure alignment with train doors and raised platforms to reduce the risks posed by gaps between the train and the train platform. Raised platforms should be installed in stations where the gaps between the trains and the platform exceed the maximum tolerances allowed by the ADA.

Making Announcements More Accessible

The new R211 trains have multiple LED screens in every train car that can be used to provide closed captioning for real-time and pre-recorded service and safety announcements. Similarly, the LED screens in stations can be used for the same purpose. Any signage that is posted in stations with safety, service, or navigation information should be high-contrast and in a large font for maximum readability.

Wayfinding Infrastructure

Adding tactile guideways to stations is a fast and low-cost way to make stations easier to navigate for everyone, and some stations now have clearly marked boarding areas for people using mobility devices that can be easily added to all subway stations.

An accessible boarding area ground decal at 66th St-Lincoln Center.

The MTA can also expand its partnerships with third-party apps like MagnusCards to bring smartphone wayfinding technology to more subway stations and transit systems around the city.

Expanding the MYmta App

The MYmta app, which provides information about transit schedules and service changes, could be updated to provide real-time, accurate information about elevator and escalator outages in subway stations. Alternatively, the MTA could establish an elevator status Application Programming Interface, which would allow third-party smartphone apps to provide elevator status and more readily provide data on elevator performance to outside monitors and advocates. [100]

Travel Training

Travel training is short-term, comprehensive, intensive instruction designed to teach people with or without disabilities how to travel safely and independently on public transportation. [101] It is often offered to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who need specific instructions on how to use a city’s public transit system, but it can be useful for people with non-cognitive disabilities as well. New York City provides travel training to “qualified paratransit AAR customers” [102]; not every person who requires or would benefit from travel training is an AAR customer, however. Prior to the pandemic, space in the MTA’s travel training program was limited even within the small number of people who are eligible; since the onset of the pandemic, the MTA has indefinitely suspended its travel training program. [103] The Department of Education offers a travel training program, but this is limited to students in District 75. New York City should invest in its travel training programs to expand the scope of people who may participate.

Training for Best Practices

Sometimes, people are hesitant to give assistance to a person with a disability because they feel unequipped or unfamiliar with what may be required of them. MTA employees, New York City Police (NYPD) officers, and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) employees should be trained in best practices for interacting with and assisting people with disabilities. It is imperative never to forcibly assist—by, for example, pushing a person’s wheelchair or taking hold of a blind person’s arm without asking—and to respect the dignity and independence of all riders with disabilities. There are established best practices for interacting with and guiding people who are blind or have low vision. [104] Similarly, these employees should receive basic training in American Sign Language or Sign Supported English as well as Deaf culture and communication norms in order to best assist riders who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Improvements in the Near Future

Improving Access-a-Ride

Installing and upgrading elevators is understandably a lengthy process. In the meantime, New York City Transit must improve Access-a-Ride for New Yorkers with disabilities who need this vital service. Firstly, the city can contract with rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to decrease wait times and provide a more accurate time window for when rides will arrive at customers’ locations.

Two of the most pervasive problems with AAR service are untimely drop-offs and excessively long ride times, as highlighted in the Department of Justice’s letter to New York City Transit Authority. [105] In the letter, the DOJ recommended some of the following measures to ensure more accountability and better service:

Establish performance standards for on-time drop-offs.
Collect and maintain data on requested drop-off times.
Conduct regular analyses of on-time drop-offs and comparable travel times for AAR trips.
Adopt a standard that ensures NYCTA does not provide a substantial number of trips with excessive trip length (defined as “any trip where the time from pickup to drop-off is more than 15 minutes longer than the transportation time would be from origin to destination if traveled using the fixed route system”).

E-Hail Pilot

In 2017, the MTA ran a pilot program that allowed some Access-a-Ride customers to use an e-hail service, which used web-based applications to match customers with drivers. [106] This worked with yellow and green taxis and companies like Uber and Lyft, and customers only paid the $2.75 transit fare for themselves and their guests. Users called this service life-changing. [107] (It should be noted, however, that e-hail is not without its flaws—it can be difficult to schedule a ride during peak hours and on high-demand days such as holidays.) In 2019, each ride in an AAR van cost the MTA on average $86; riding in a taxi with the e-hail pilot cost half that, at an average of $40 a ride. [108] However, in early 2020, the MTA announced their plan to alter the program by limiting the number of monthly trips to 16 and capping the per-ride subsidy at $15, a move that disability advocates and AAR users have criticized. [109] Currently, the MTA contracts with ARRO, Leap, and Limosys. A pair of bills in the New York State Legislature, S486 and A1252, would extend and expand the scope of the e-hail pilot to include an additional 1,200 users. [110][111] While more AAR customers having access to e-hail is good, limiting this service to a small group of users creates an inequitable two-tiered system. All AAR customers should be able to utilize e-hail.

Recently, the MTA proposed expanding the e-hail pilot from 1,200 to 3,600 randomly-selected participants; however, this proposal would also increase the cost of a ride to $5, and cap the number of trips for which the MTA will cover a co-pay. [112] Advocates condemned this announcement as “rationing” services and treating disabled people as second-class citizens. This difference in pricing for disabled riders is not alone: those who are eligible for a reduced-fare Metro Card do not receive the same discount when using Access-a-Ride. Many AAR users feel that they are paying more money for worse service. For a population that is disproportionately low-income, [113] this increased financial burden is especially harmful, and no other population is financially capped at how often they can access services—in fact, the OMNY system automatically grants free subway and bus rides for the remainder of the week once a person has taken twelve rides. All forms of AAR services, including e-hail, should not cost more than $2.90, and riders should not be subject to caps on services.

Expanding Bus Service

Expanding interborough bus service would provide AAR users with more transit options for their trips, as buses are accessible to people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. City bus networks largely operate within each of the five boroughs, with subway trains being the main method for public transit riders to travel between boroughs. Transit advocates pushed for the MTA to accelerate its Bus Network Redesign project ahead of the city’s full reopening. [114] The Bus Network Redesign, as part of the city’s Fast Forward plan, includes taking a holistic, clean-slate look at bus service patterns in each borough of New York City to better match service with current and future travel demands. [115] The project was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but restarted in August 2021. [116] Since the project was restarted, the MTA adopted and implemented the Bronx Local Bus Network Redesign Final Plan and published the Queens Bus Network Redesign New Draft Plan. [117][118] It should be noted, however, that the redesign plans make bus stops further apart, which makes it more difficult for people with disabilities to reach a bus stop, and only shortens passengers’ rides by a few minutes. Bus redesign plans should examine where they plan to remove stops to ensure that, for example, they are not eliminating stops near senior centers.

Improving Station Accessibility

There are other infrastructure considerations in making a station accessible aside from just elevators, ramps, and escalators. Recently, station renovations have removed benches and seating and replaced them with “leaning benches.” While the removal of benches is largely aimed at preventing people experiencing homelessness from loitering or sleeping in stations—which is itself a problematic action—it also negatively impacts people with disabilities as well as seniors, pregnant people, and people with injuries, among others, who need places to sit while waiting for the train.

During the pandemic, due to COVID-19 safety protocols, 133 subway station restrooms were closed, with only a fraction having reopened. [119] Seventy-eight of these restrooms are accessible for people who use mobility devices, although the MTA has not indicated if the remaining restrooms can be retrofitted for accessibility or if plans exist to build new accessible restrooms. All public restrooms—particularly subway restrooms, of which so few are open to public use—should be fully ADA compliant.

Excessive Heat and Poor Air Quality

Subway stations are hot. Dangerously hot—and it will likely only get worse in the coming years. The excessive levels of heat in the subway are due to several reasons: “heat sink,” where heat is transferred from surfaces like the pavement to immediately cooler areas, like a subway station; the air conditioning systems on the trains emitting heat; and a lack of air conditioning in the stations (the only air-conditioned station is the 4/5/6 at 42nd St.-- Grand Central, which uses the air conditioning system for Grand Central Terminal). [120] The busiest subway stations are often the hottest.

Recently, New York City has experienced an air quality crisis, with smoke from wildfires in Canada making the air sometimes hazardous to breathe. A team of researchers at New York University found that the levels of particulate matter are worse in subway stations than they are aboveground, due to the air movement caused by the trains coming and going. [121]

People with disabilities, as well as seniors, young children, pregnant people, and those with certain health conditions (like asthma) are especially vulnerable to high levels of heat and poor air quality. The best solution would be to ventilate the entire subway system and install air conditioning, but this would be prohibitively expensive. The city should provide fans in all subway stations to facilitate air movement when temperatures are high, which would provide some air circulation to at least somewhat cool the station. Additionally, the city should maintain publicly accessible heat maps to help passengers plan their routes, and so the city can know where to install different technologies underneath or next to buildings to absorb heat. [122] Access-a-Ride should also take into account a person’s ability to wait in an excessively hot subway station, or to be outside when the air quality is poor, when deciding who is eligible for paratransit services. Lastly, N95 masks should be made available to anyone who requests one at all subway station booths.

Long-Term Accessibility Improvements

Making Stations with Elevators Fully Accessible

There are several subway stations that have elevators but are not fully accessible, such as the 181st Street and 168th Street 1 train stations, which have elevators but require people to walk down a short set of stairs to reach the platform. (The MTA recently awarded accessibility upgrades to the 168th Street 1 train station to be constructed in the coming years, along with the 181st Street A train station, which will be completed by the end of the year, and the Dyckman Street 1 train station, which has already been completed. [123]) It would be relatively inexpensive to make these stations fully accessible by adding ramps. It is imperative that these ramps are not too steep, and must be properly maintained and repaired, including proper clearing during inclement weather. The platform itself, too, must be accessible.

Improving Elevator Reliability

A 2023 survey conducted by Council Members Keith Powers and Pierina Ana Sanchez found that an average of 34 elevators and 33 escalators were out per day for select days in January 2023. [124] Sixteen and eighteen percent of elevators and escalators, respectively, are managed by non-MTA private entities. Compared to the equipment managed by the MTA, the Councilmembers’ study found that elevators and escalators managed by third parties that

experienced non-capital-related outages were out an average of 4.4 days, versus the MTA’s average of 1.6 days. In many cases, especially stations with the oldest infrastructure, elevators need to be replaced entirely, such as the elevators at the 181st Street 1 train station that were recently replaced.

A 2017 audit conducted by then-New York City Comptroller Stringer’s office found that approximately 80 percent of the elevators and escalators did not receive all of their scheduled preventive maintenance service assignments. [125] In many cases, work orders were never created, even after new defects were found during preventive maintenance or inspections. The MTA must overhaul how it conducts maintenance, with improved tracking and accountability. Additionally, all elevator outages must be reliably reported to the public in real time, and electronic alerts through the MTA app and website should be accompanied with robust physical signage in and around the station, including information on alternative accessible subway entrances and/or stations.

The Cost of Accessibility Improvements

In recent years, the MTA has grown faster in costs and ridership than the agency was prepared for. [126] The economic impact on people with disabilities cannot be understated; lack of access to transportation diminishes job opportunities and income, and makes finding housing and saving money more difficult. It also impacts the day-to-day pleasures that all people enjoy, like seeing friends, going to the movies, and going to restaurants. The lack of accessibility in New York City’s transit system prohibits many disabled New Yorkers from fully integrating into public life. A commitment to full accessibility must become a financial priority for the MTA and NYCT.

In 2019, the MTA spent $614 million on paratransit services for about 160,000 disabled riders. [127] Currently, New York City covers either a third of the MTA’s paratransit net expenses or 20 percent more than it paid the year prior, whichever is less. [128]

Recommendations: Income Generation

In 2015, Access-a-Ride trips that started or ended near non-accessible subway stations cost a total of $258 million, a significantly higher long-term cost than making those subway stations accessible. [129] While some may balk at the up-front cost of making the subway fully accessible, these improvements will ultimately be less of a financial burden on the MTA and taxpayers. While the COVID-19 pandemic has understandably taken a toll on the MTA’s finances, there are many ways that the agency can raise revenue to cover these costs.

Raising the Fare

The Office of the Public Advocate strongly urges the MTA not to raise the subway and bus fare to fund capital projects, especially considering that the poverty rate of disabled working-age New Yorkers is significantly higher than that of their non-disabled peers. [130] Raising the fare also has an especially large impact on New Yorkers of color, who are more likely to be criminalized or fined when they jump the turnstile out of necessity. In August of 2023, the fare increased to $2.90, a fifteen-cent increase from the previous price of $2.75.

When surveyed, riders who have not returned to the subway cited, among other factors, the cost of the fare as one reason they have stayed away. It is also important to remember that more people will ride the subway if it becomes more accessible; currently, Access-a-Ride has between 20,000 and 25,000 riders every weekday. [131] While not every person who uses AAR is able to use the subway, many of those riders can be expected to take more trips via the subway once improvements are made, especially when ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels.

The city has also invested significant resources in fare evasion enforcement, particularly at the end of 2022 into 2023, when Mayor Adams directed police to increase their presence in subway stations. This undoubtedly contributed to skyrocketing police overtime spending, which exceeded its budget by over $100 million in the last fiscal year. [132] (Those who received summonses for fare evasion in the last three months of 2022 were disproportionately Black and Latinx, with 93 percent of those arrested being Black and Latinx. [133]) Despite this increased enforcement, fare evasion rates have increased. [134] Recently, the MTA installed new fare gates at two subway stations, Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av – JFK Airport in Queens. [135]

The new wide fare gate at Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center.

In addition to these gates, with their “saloon style” doors, making fare evasion more difficult, their greater width also made entering the station in a wheelchair or with another mobility device, stroller, cart, or luggage much easier. The MTA should prioritize investments that not only prevent fare evasion but doubly improve accessibility, instead of punitive enforcement.

MTA Capital Program Funding 2020-2024

Recently, the State Legislature approved new significant revenue sources to fund the MTA Capital Program, including the central business district tolling program to ease congestion, progressive taxes on high-end real estate sales, and the elimination of the internet tax advantage. [136] Additionally, funding comes from MTA bonds and pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) funding, bridges and tunnels bonds, funding from the state and federal governments, federal formula, and federal new starts. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul also funded a pilot to make one bus line per borough fare-free at $15 million.

Zoning for Accessibility

In October 2021, New York City announced the approval of Elevate Transit: Zoning for Accessibility, a partnership between the MTA, the City Council, the Department of City Planning (DCP), and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) to boost New York City’s push to make its transit system fully accessible. [137] These new zoning rules incentivize private developers to design their buildings to incorporate public station accessibility projects or build the improvements at nearby MTA stations. Similarly, New York City has in the past granted permission for private developers to create larger buildings in exchange for funding elevators at the closest subway station. [138]

It must be noted that crucial questions are not addressed in the zoning for accessibility statute, such as who will maintain, repair, and clean the elevators and other infrastructure, as well as who will be in charge of removing snow, ice and other debris along the path of travel to these elevators, and in and around the elevators. Studies have already shown that, in the past, when elevators were in the hands of private developers they were not maintained by these third parties. [139]

Pausing Aesthetic Improvements

The MTA recently spent hundreds of millions of dollars on aesthetic station improvements that do not increase accessibility, including new tiles on the walls, LED lighting and screens, and new benches. The plan, called the Enhanced Station Initiative, cost more than $800 million, or the estimated cost of making ten more subway stations accessible. [140] While subway stations need regular maintenance to remain safe and open, these cosmetic investments should not take priority over increasing accessibility.

Federal Infrastructure Plan

President Biden’s infrastructure plan will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America's infrastructure over five years, including everything from bridges and roads to the nation's broadband, water, and energy systems. [141] Though the funding has been pared down in negotiations, this plan will bring a badly needed infusion of cash into the MTA and NYCT for repairing and upgrading infrastructure, including improving accessibility. [142] While there is no breakdown yet available, Representative Ritchie Torres said he expects the MTA to receive $10 billion from the passage of the bill. [143] The MTA should favor this funding for urgent safety-related repairs and accessibility upgrades and deprioritize aesthetic repairs and upgrades.

Conclusion

It has been more than 30 years since President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in nearly all facets of life, including transportation. However, New York City continues to prevent disabled people from accessing the most convenient form of transit, in turn perpetuating inequities in employment, housing, schooling, and healthcare. Aside from immediate safety concerns, reaching 100 percent accessibility in all subway stations must be the MTA’s foremost priority. For too long, people with disabilities have been disappointed or cast aside in favor of other less necessary projects. It is time for New York City to join other cities around the country in its commitment to providing excellent service for riders of all abilities.

Acknowledgements

Lead author: Gwen Saffran, Senior Policy & Legislative Associate.

Additional support was provided by Rosie Mendez, Director of Legislation and Policy; Veronica Aveis, Chief Deputy Public Advocate for Policy; Kashif Hussain, Deputy Public Advocate for Infrastructure & Environmental Justice; David Kahn, Community Organizer for Infrastructure & Environmental Justice; Sasha St. Juste, Community Organizer for Infrastructure & Environmental Justice; Mirelle Clifford, Deputy Digital Media Director; Kevin Fagan, Director of Communications; William Gerlich, Senior Advisor for Communications; and Nick E. Smith, First Deputy Public Advocate.

Design and layout created by: Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Graphic Designer.

Photos by: Caroll Andrewsk.

The Office of the Public Advocate would also like to thank Jacqueline Goldenberg, Miriam Fisher, and Jessica Murray, Rise and Resist/Elevator Action Group.

ENDNOTES

https://gothamist.com/news/new-york-reap-billions-dollars-mass-transit-monumental-infrastructure-bill