File #: Int 0531-2003    Version: * Name: Mandating the newly issued taxicab licenses be used only with taxicabs that are wheelchair accessible.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed
Committee: Committee on Transportation
On agenda: 8/19/2003
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to mandating the newly issued taxicab licenses be used only with taxicabs that are wheelchair accessible and that all taxicabs service be wheelchair accessible.
Sponsors: Margarita Lopez, Charles Barron, Tracy L. Boyland, Yvette D. Clarke, Lewis A. Fidler, Vincent J. Gentile, Alan J. Gerson, G. Oliver Koppell, Michael E. McMahon, Christine C. Quinn, David Yassky, Tony Avella, Eva S. Moskowitz, Gale A. Brewer, Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Joel Rivera, Melinda R. Katz, Hiram Monserrate
Council Member Sponsors: 18

Int. No. 531

 

By Council Members Lopez, Barron, Boyland, Clarke, Fidler, Gentile, Gerson, Koppell, McMahon, Quinn, Yassky, Avella, Moskowitz, Brewer, Recchia, Rivera and Katz; also Council Member Monserrate

 

 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to mandating the newly issued taxicab licenses be used only with taxicabs that are wheelchair accessible and that all taxicabs service be wheelchair accessible.

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1.  Section 19-532 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

§ 19-532 Public sale of additional taxicab licenses. a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the commission is hereby authorized to issue additional taxicab licenses, provided, however, that such additional licenses shall be issued only after completion by the commission of such review as may be required by article eight of the New York state environmental conservation law. Such additional licenses shall be issued in a number not to exceed the number of taxicab licenses whose public sale is authorized by New York state law, and shall be fully transferable and subject to the provisions of this chapter and of chapter sixty-five of the New York city charter. The commission shall prescribe by regulation the procedures for the issuance and public sale of such additional licenses, by public auction, sealed bids or other competitive process.

b. [Of the total number of] All of the taxicab licenses issued by the commission pursuant to this section and any other taxicab licenses issued by the commission, [at least nine percent shall be issued subject to the requirement that the vehicles operated by or under agreement with the owners of such licenses either be powered by compressed natural gas or be a hybrid electric vehicle, and at least nine percent] shall be issued subject to the requirement that the vehicles operated by or under agreement with the owners of such licenses be fully accessible to persons with disabilities in accordance with standards established by the commission. [Provided, however, that if the prices which the commission is able to obtain for the issuance of licenses subject to either of the foregoing requirements does not exceed ninety percent of the average price otherwise obtained by the commission for the issuance of licenses pursuant to this section, the commission is authorized to issue such licenses without such requirement.]

c. The terms and conditions for the public sale of licenses pursuant to this section shall explicitly provide that vehicles operated by or under agreement with the owners of such licenses shall be entitled to accept hails from passengers in the street in accordance with section 19-504(a)(1) of this code.

§ 2. Subdivisions g and h of section 19-504 of the administrative code of the city of New York are amended to read as follows:

g. The commission shall revoke any license for nonuse in the event it shall determine that the vehicle has not been operated for sixty consecutive days, provided that such failure to operate shall not have been caused by strike, riot, war or other public catastrophe or other act beyond the control of the owner; or in the event the owner has sold his or her vehicle and has failed to replace the vehicle within one hundred and twenty days from the date of sale or with a vehicle which shall be fully accessible to persons with disabilities in accordance with standards established by the commission.  However, in the event that it is shown to the commission by competent proof that an owner-driver has been disabled through illness, his or her license shall not be revoked because of such nonuse as provided in this subdivision.

h. A medallion or license may be transferred from one vehicle to another where the vehicle to which the medallion or license is transferred, is fully accessible to persons with disabilities in accordance with standards established by the commission, subject to the approval of the commission and upon payment of such fee as the commission shall require, but not to exceed fifty dollars.   A vehicle licensee may change the base communication system with which it is affiliated, subject to the approval of the commission and upon payment of such fee as the commission shall require, but not to exceed fifty dollars.

§ 3. This local law shall take effect immediately.