Access-a-Ride user Luz Paulino-Santos tries to find her vehicle while commuting home from Midtown to Inwood, April 11, 2024. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
The Paratransit system countrywide at its core, is a great service that provides accessible transportation to disabled individuals and seniors daily, in some cases and areas. However, horror stories regarding poor service, have piled up everywhere, from Philadelphia to New York and beyond, we have used the service in several other locations, and the issues are the same.
Recently, a federal judge in New York City has allowed a lawsuit to move forward against (MTA/NYC); basically, the plaintiff’s /NYC Paratransit riders have come together with the federal complaint, claiming that disabled riders are being discriminated against because they do not have the flexibility to schedule same DAY, REASONIBLE rides like non-disabled individuals who utilize subways, buses and other forms of public transit. Moreover, rides that are available have long, exceedingly long (did we say long) routes, which take hours to get home, far to many times. Here is a quote from the federal judge:
“While U.S. District Court Judge Jessica Clarke ruled that the paratransit system’s scheduling requirement does not violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, she did indicate that its routing operation can lead to excessively long trips because of “illogical and unnecessarily circuitous routes.” For more about this federal lawsuit, activate the below link, the case could have big implications for the Paratransit system nation wide
Federal Judge Lets Human Rights Case Against Access-A-Ride Proceed | THE CITY — NYC News