Bill Text: NY S01531 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires safe passenger access to all for-hire vehicles.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION [S01531 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S01531-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1531
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
          safe passenger access to all for-hire vehicles
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision 53 to read as follows:
     3    53.  Accessible  side entry for taxicab and livery vehicles. (a) Every
     4  taxicab and livery registered in this state that is required  by  local,
     5  state, or federal law or regulation to be handicap accessible, or in any
     6  way  advertises its services as accessible to individuals with disabili-
     7  ties and individuals who use wheelchairs, must be: (i) built  as  wheel-
     8  chair accessible by the vehicle's original equipment manufacturer (OEM),
     9  except  as  provided  in  paragraph  (b)  of  this  subdivision and (ii)
    10  equipped to allow all passengers to enter the vehicle through a  passen-
    11  ger compartment side door.
    12    (b)  A taxicab or livery vehicle not built as wheelchair accessible by
    13  the OEM, and subsequently converted, modified or altered  to  be  wheel-
    14  chair  accessible,  may only be used as a taxicab or livery vehicle with
    15  the approval of the department  of  transportation.  The  department  of
    16  transportation  shall  require  submission of crash test and safety data
    17  for the model of converted, altered, or modified  vehicle  and  consider
    18  this  data in making a determination to certify the vehicle for use as a
    19  taxicab or livery vehicle, except that, no converted, altered  or  modi-
    20  fied  vehicle  may  be  certified that has not been crash-tested and the
    21  results submitted to the department of transportation. The department of
    22  transportation shall issue rules to govern the approval process set  out
    23  in  this  paragraph and no converted, modified or altered vehicle may be
    24  approved for use as a transportation taxicab  or  livery  vehicle  until
    25  such rules have been issued.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02062-02-9

        S. 1531                             2
     1    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
     2  it  shall have become a law, provided that this act shall apply to taxi-
     3  cab and livery vehicles registered with a state or  local  authority  on
     4  and after such effective date.
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