NEW YORK'S TAXI OF TOMORROW TO FEATURE WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

NEW YORK'S TAXI OF TOMORROW TO FEATURE WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

When it comes to picking New York's Taxi of Tomorrow, Karsan, based in Turkey, has won us over by proudly playing up its wheelchair-accessible universal design in both its RFP and its press releases.

When the three finalists were announced, Karsan's press statement proudly mentioned its "fully accessible vehicle promises to revolutionize the taxi passenger experience in New York City," right in the opening line.

"The Karsan design would allow New York City to be the world’s first city with a fleet that would be 100% accessible and compliant with the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)," Karsan's statement continues.

While disability advocates in New York and beyond have lamented that Taxi of Tomorrow proposals from Ford and Nissan would have to be greatly retrofitted to accommodate people with mobility and other impairments, Karsan says its model is ADA-accessible right out of the factory.

"The environmentally friendly car is fully accessible and ADA-compliant without any need of retrofitting or additions," Karsan's press materials state. "It has an automated ramp for wheelchairs on either side, specially-designed wide doors that open up to 90 degrees, and keyboard and Braille communication for the hearing and visually impaired. The design is flexible and will accommodate public input or any revisions of the Taxi and Limousine Commission."

The winner of the TLC's competition will be announced early next year and will have the right to exclusively provide the standard taxicab for 10 years. Officials expect the new vehicle to be on the road by the fall of 2014

New Yorkers can go online, see the three finalist designs and vote on what they want to see in the next official taxi.

The winner will be announced early next year and will have the right to exclusively provide the standard taxicab for 10 years. Officials expect the new vehicle to be on the road by the fall of 2014

We strongly recommend that all disability advocates, not just New Yorkers or frequent visitors to the city, visit the Taxi of Tomorrow website at:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/media/html/news/taxioftomorrow.shtml


Also, click on the Taxi of Tomorrow Survey (you don't have to be a New Yorker) and sound off on the need for the City to choose the Karsan model, or if it picks Ford or Nissan, to demand that those makers meet or exceed the ADA access designed into Karsan's proposed model:

http://nyc.gov/html/media/html/contact/taxi_of_tomorrow_survey.shtml

NEW YORK'S TAXI OF THE FUTURE TO FEATURE WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

NEW YORK'S TAXI OF THE FUTURE TO FEATURE WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

When New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to work directly with the auto industry to design a taxi cab specifically for New York City, he wisely made sure that wheelchair access is a core requirement of the "Taxi of Tomorrow."

Today's fleet of more than 13,000 taxis is made up of 16 vehicle models from nine different manufacturers. Fewer than 250 of the cabs now on the road can accommodate a wheelchair user.

When the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) put out a request for proposals (RFP) for the exclusive right to make the Taxi of Tomorrow, it emphasized that it was seeking vehicles that could easily accommodate people with disabilities.

"The TLC is committed to providing taxicab and car service that is accessible to all New Yorkers, as evidenced by the fact that accessibility is an explicit specification of the Taxi of Tomorrow request for proposals," Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky told us in an exclusive interview.

The competition to manufacture New York City's next taxicab has been narrowed to three finalists: Karsan USA, Ford Motor Co., and Nissan North America Inc.

As frequent visitors to New York, who have suffered because of inadequate cabs that cannot accommodate a wheelchair user (and whose shoddy trunks have damaged a stowed manual wheelchair), we are thrilled with accessibility being a key requirement.

While all three finalists claim to have wheelchair access, only Karsan's proposed model features a wheelchair ramp as a standard piece of equipment.

Some disability activists have railed against the fact that if Karsan isn't chosen, full accessibility will be a promise, not a designed reality, from either Ford or Nissan.

We strongly recommend that all disability advocates, not just New Yorkers or frequent visitors to the city, visit the Taxi of Tomorrow website at:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/media/html/news/taxioftomorrow.shtml


Also, click on the Taxi of Tomorrow Survey (you don't have to be a New Yorker) and sound off on the need for the City to choose the Karsan model, or if it picks Ford or Nissan, to demand that those makers meet or exceed the ADA access designed into Karsan's proposed model:

http://nyc.gov/html/media/html/contact/taxi_of_tomorrow_survey.shtml

TOMORROW: K
ARSAN IS PROUD TO BE ACCESSIBLE