Bill Text: NY A04384 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to pre-arranged for-hire vehicle transportation services and the maximization of universal design and accessibility by persons with disabilities.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to transportation [A04384 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04384-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4384

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 14, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. STECK, COOK, CRUZ, DeSTEFANO, DICKENS, HYNDMAN,
          SANTABARBARA, SEAWRIGHT, SIMON, STERN, WALSH -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to pre-arranged
          for-hire vehicle  transportation  services  and  the  maximization  of
          universal design and accessibility by persons with disabilities

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "Accessible Livery Act".
     3    §  2.  The  vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section
     4  1220-d to read as follows:
     5    § 1220-d. Universal accessibility in for-hire  vehicles.  1.  For  the
     6  purposes  of  this section, the following terms shall have the following
     7  meanings:
     8    (a) "Pre-arranged  for-hire  vehicle"  shall  mean  a  motor  vehicle,
     9  designed  to  carry no more than nine passengers (excluding the driver),
    10  that is used in the business of transporting passengers for compensation
    11  on a pre-arranged basis, and operated in such business under  a  license
    12  or  permit  issued  by  a licensing jurisdiction. The term "pre-arranged
    13  for-hire vehicle" shall apply to vehicles as defined in  this  paragraph
    14  regardless  of  any  other  provision  of  local law or rule defining or
    15  describing such vehicles by any other terms such as livery, taxi,  black
    16  car, or luxury limousine.
    17    (b)  "Pre-arranged  for-hire vehicle owner or operator" shall mean the
    18  registered owner of a pre-arranged for-hire vehicle, or a duly  licensed
    19  driver  designated  by  such registered owner or operator to operate the
    20  registered owner's or operator's pre-arranged for-hire  vehicle  as  the
    21  registered owner's or operator's authorized designee.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05938-01-3

        A. 4384                             2

     1    (c) "Universal design" or "universally designed" shall mean the design
     2  of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest
     3  extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
     4    (d) "Accessible vehicle" shall mean a vehicle that:
     5    (i) complies with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with
     6  Disabilities  Act  of  1990, as amended, and the regulations promulgated
     7  thereunder;
     8    (ii) is equipped with a lift, ramp or any other device, arrangement or
     9  alteration, so it is capable of transporting individuals who use  wheel-
    10  chairs,  scooters,  or  other  mobility aids while they remain seated in
    11  their wheelchairs, scooters, or other mobility aids;
    12    (iii) is equipped with an assistive listening system for persons  with
    13  hearing  impairments that is connected with any intercom, video or audio
    14  system, when such a system is installed;
    15    (iv) is equipped with standardized signs printed in:(A)  braille;  and
    16  (B)  large-print text so that such signs are visible to persons with low
    17  vision;
    18    (v) provides sufficient floor space to accommodate a  service  animal;
    19  and
    20    (vi) if powered by a hybrid-electric motor, is equipped with an appro-
    21  priate  device  to  enable persons who are blind to hear the approach of
    22  the vehicle as readily as they can hear a conventional  gasoline-powered
    23  vehicle.
    24    2.  (a) Every pre-arranged for-hire vehicle owner or operator with not
    25  more than ten for-hire vehicles shall:
    26    (i) purchase or lease at least one universally designed and accessible
    27  vehicle upon its next acquisition of a vehicle after the fifth year from
    28  the effective date of the chapter of the laws of  two  thousand  twenty-
    29  three that added this section; and
    30    (ii)  ensure  that  when advertising their services subsequent to such
    31  purchase, the availability of universally designed and accessible  vehi-
    32  cles is also advertised.
    33    (b)  Every  pre-arranged  for-hire  vehicle owner or operator with not
    34  less than eleven or more than one hundred for-hire vehicles shall:
    35    (i) purchase or lease universally  designed  and  accessible  vehicles
    36  when  acquiring vehicles until not less than twenty percent of the fleet
    37  is universally designed and accessible. In no  event  shall  such  fleet
    38  have  less than twenty percent universally designed and accessible vehi-
    39  cles five years after the effective date of the chapter of the  laws  of
    40  two thousand twenty-three that added this section; and
    41    (ii)  ensure  that  when advertising their services subsequent to such
    42  purchase that the availability of universally  designed  and  accessible
    43  vehicles is also advertised.
    44    (c)  Every  pre-arranged  for-hire  vehicle owner or operator provider
    45  with not less than one hundred for-hire vehicles shall:
    46    (i) purchase or lease universally  designed  and  accessible  vehicles
    47  when  acquiring  vehicles until not less than twenty-five percent of the
    48  fleet is universally designed or accessible. In  no  event  shall  their
    49  fleet have less than twenty-five percent universally designed and acces-
    50  sible  vehicles  three  years after the effective date of the chapter of
    51  the laws of two thousand twenty-three that added this section;
    52    (ii) increase their percentage of universally designed and  accessible
    53  vehicles to a minimum of fifty percent of the fleet within five years of
    54  the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand twenty-one
    55  that added this section; and

        A. 4384                             3

     1    (iii)  ensure  that when advertising their services subsequent to such
     2  purchase that the availability of universally  designed  and  accessible
     3  vehicles is also advertised.
     4    (d) All pre-arranged for-hire vehicle owners and operators shall main-
     5  tain  the percentages of universally designed and accessible vehicles in
     6  their service which, according to their size at  any  given  time,  they
     7  would  have  been  required to purchase by the specified deadlines under
     8  subparagraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this subdivision.
     9    3. Failure to comply with the provisions of subdivision  two  of  this
    10  section  shall  constitute  a violation punishable by a fine of not less
    11  than fifty dollars and not more than one hundred fifty dollars  per  day
    12  from  the  date  a  violation  occurred until the date such violation is
    13  cured. A violation may also be  grounds  for  revocation  or  denial  of
    14  licensing  or  registration,  or  renewal  thereof,  under  section four
    15  hundred one of this chapter. The local  and  state  authorities  charged
    16  with issuing permits, licenses and registration of pre-arranged for-hire
    17  vehicles  and  shuttle services shall require proof prior to issuance of
    18  such permit, license or registration, or renewal thereof, of  compliance
    19  with the provisions of this section.
    20    §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
    21  law.
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