‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ Approved Amid Accessibility Concerns

NEW YORK—The Taxi & Limousine Commission’s board of commissioners on Thursday approved the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” a Nissan model designed specifically for New York City, except not everyone is happy with it, including two public officials who blasted the decision.

The Nissan NV-200 will include modern features, such as a transparent roof panel, places to charge cellphones, and a “spacious cargo area,” according to the commission website.

But  Assemblyman Micah Kellner says “The city has taken a giant step backward when it comes to making our taxi fleet accessible and environmentally friendly,” in a statement.

“This is an irresponsible choice and I am outraged that the disabled community will continue to be relegated to second-class status,” he added.

Kellner and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio sent a letter to the commission on Wednesday implying the Taxi of Tomorrow could be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, since the cab design isn’t wheelchair-accessible.

On the other hand, Allan Fromberg, spokesman for the Taxi & Limousine Commission, said a wheelchair-accessible model—separate from the regular model—is available as an alternative.

A dispatch system the commission unveiled on Friday for the city’s 232 wheelchair-accessible taxis should help disabled persons, said Fromberg. The commission is also appealing a recent ruling that blocked its attempt to place 2,000 new yellow taxis on the streets, all of which would be wheelchair-accessible.

Nissan’s model won a design competition that had three finalists, including a Karsan cab that fit four people along with a wheelchair-user. Fromberg wouldn’t directly answer why Nissan won but sent a press release listing reasons cited by the city, such as high passenger comfort and high scores in the nearly 23,000 people who answered a survey.

The “Taxi of Tomorrow” is supposed to replace all the taxis in the city, a process that will take until 2019 or 2020.

De Blasio accused the commission of choosing a bid that didn’t create jobs in the city, and he and Kellner said in the joint letter that they fear the “potential and somewhat involved legal issues” the city faces could result in lost revenue for city businesses and lost jobs for taxi drivers.

“The commissioners may have made the city vulnerable to legal challenges, expensive retrofits, or the new vehicles being taken off the road altogether,” said Kellner.

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