Transportation

Great news! New York City’s subway system will finally become more accessible to people with disabilities and other mobility issues! But hold on. It’s not due for completion for another 33 years. The undertaking comes on the heels of two class-action lawsuits filed against the city.

As Michael Gold of The New York Times reports, New York has lagged considerably behind other American cities for years. Its current system boasts only 126 accessible stations of a total of 472. This equates to only 27 percent of the city’s subway stations having elevators or ramps to make them fully accessible. Similarly older systems in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago have already accomplished more in retrofitting to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

On the plus side, once 2055 arrives, the benefits from the changes outlined in the settlement will be massive. In a city as heavily populated as New York City, this brings great promise for the disabled and non-disabled alike. The enormous faction of the population that struggles with narrow fare gates, stairs, and other cumbersome sections of a subway station, including parents with strollers, shoppers hauling large items and travelers carrying luggage, will find new ease in subway travel.

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The Department of Justice has ruled in favor of disabled passengers in the U.S following a recent lawsuit filed against Uber Technologies. Found to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the rideshare company will now pay more than $2 million and waive wait time fees for all certified disabled riders.

In addition to the waived wait time fees, Uber will pay $1,738,500 to more than 1,000 riders who made official complaints and $500,000 to others harmed by the actual practice of charged fees. Uber will also credit the accounts of more than 65,000 eligible riders.

Following the outcome, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated that this settlement is a “strong message that Uber and other ridesharing companies will be held accountable.” It’s a change in the right direction. Read the full article.

James Casserly, a wheelchair user and son of former Mayor of South Dublin Vicki Casserly, is traveling to each of Ireland’s 32 counties to test the accessibility of public transport.

His mother told Dublin Live that “James loves public transport and feels that he should be able to travel, particularly with his wheelchair. When you’re going around our lovely country – we want to know are hotels accessible, are restaurants accessible, are shops, venues, footpaths and just really highlight all of that in a constructive way.”

James hopes that his 32-county journey will raise awareness of the need for greater accessibility and encourage businesses to be more welcoming to disabled customers.

“It’s good for the business because they’ll bring in more revenue with an accessible business,” his mom said.

To read more about James Casserly and his mission to make Ireland more accessible, see the full article in Dublin Live.