Federal lawsuit may have been prevented if Brooklyn taxi company was chosen
Late last week, a federal court in New York City cleared the way for a major class action lawsuit brought by New Yorkers who use wheelchairs to challenge the “Taxi of Tomorrow.”
Judge Daniels of the Southern District of New York District Court allowed the plaintiffs to supplement and amend their complaint to include challenges to the legality of the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) selection of the Nissan NV200 van as the exclusive taxi vehicle of New York City for the next decade.
The NV200 van is not accessible to New York City’s 170,000 residents with mobility disabilities who use wheelchairs. The plaintiffs’ supplemental amended complaint alleges that use of the NV200 van as a taxi vehicle violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Marty Needelman, chief counsel to Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, noted, “This litigation is both important in working to protect the disabled and at the same time relieve them and the state of the huge respective inconvenience and cost associated with “Access-A-Ride.”