Taxicab Bureau will decide how many wheelchair- and scooter-accessible taxicabs the city should have
Taxicabs are an important component of New Orleans' multibillion-dollar tourist industry, but the city for years has done little to ensure that visitors -- or residents -- who use wheelchairs can find taxis capable of accommodating them. The City Council this week passed an ordinance designed to correct that.
View full sizeTaxis in the holding area at Louis Armstrong International Airport were photographed in May 2009. Charles Tubre, a longtime spokesman for New Orleanians with disabilities, told the council that when he travels to other U.S. cities, he never has to worry about finding a way to get him and his wheelchair from the airport to his hotel.
In New Orleans, he said, that has not been true.
Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, sponsor of the ordinance and chairwoman of the council's Transportation Committee, said that fewer than 1 percent of New Orleans taxis are wheelchair-accessible, compared with 6 percent in Boston, 6.5 percent in San Francisco and 10 percent in Los Angeles.
Others said that in fact, there are virtually no cabs in New Orleans capable of handling non-collapsible wheelchairs.
The ordinance the council passed 6-0 on Thursday says creation of an "accessible taxicab program will allow equivalent access to taxicab services for individuals with disabilities as are currently provided for all other citizens and visitors."
The law does not say how many accessible taxicabs the city should have, leaving that decision up to the Taxicab Bureau. But it sets specific standards for them, saying the vehicles must have an opening for wheelchairs at least 56 inches high and 30 inches wide and a floor area at least 48 inches long.
The accessible taxis can pick up regular passengers if not busy with disabled riders, but they are supposed to "grant priority to requests for service from wheelchair or scooter users" or risk losing their city permits.
The wheelchair-accessible cabs are all supposed to be a distinct color and bear identifying labels. Permits will be issued only to owners of vehicles from "the most recent model year," unlike regular New Orleans cabs, most of which are used vehicles with extensive mileage when drivers buy them.
The accessible vehicles must have two-way radios and their companies must have round-the-clock dispatching services, ready to "provide service to customers within 30 minutes anywhere in New Orleans."
All Regional Transit Authority buses and some streetcars are wheelchair-accessible, but the historic cars on the St. Charles line are not. The RTA also operates a paratransit service for people with disabilities, picking them up at their homes or other sites in vans, but that service is designed for residents, not visitors. Palmer said the state is reducing the money available for paratransit operations.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America will hold its national convention in New Orleans in August, with 200 to 300 disabled members expected. Julius Lee, a member of the group's regional board, and Tubre warned that the city had better be ready for the event or risk getting bad national publicity.
Jason Coleman, a spokesman for a group of local cab drivers, said that if the city is going to increase the number of taxicab permits to add the accessible vehicles, it should monitor their operation to make sure they are serving mainly disabled riders. Otherwise, he said, adding them will simply increase the total number of cabs, hurting current owners and drivers.
Bruce Eggler can be reached at beggler@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3320.