N.Y. paratransit costs skyrocketing, lack of subway elevators cited: study

NEW YORK CITY — Access-A-Ride, New York’s federally-mandated paratransit service, is already straining government budgets — and demand is only expected to grow. A new report from New York University argues that the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority need to do more to provide lower-cost paratransit options by improving accessibility of buses, subways, taxis and for-hire vehicles, reported The Village Voice.

Access-A-Ride cost $85.2 million and carried 1.7 million rides in 2000, increasing to an estimated $506 million this year for more than 6.3 million trips, with projections expected to skyrocket to 14.3 million by 2022, the report said.

Installing more elevators in subway stations could reduce the burden on Access-A-Ride and another potential fix recommended included making better use of taxis and for-hire vehicles, according to The Village Voice. 

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