Hearing on accessible cabs draws mixed reactions

The Philadelphia Parking Authority's plan to make all taxicabs wheelchair accessible in four years drew mixed reactions Wednesday in a hearing at the Convention Center.

A proposal aims to bring the number of accessible cabs from three to 300 in the next year, with all 1,600 taxis outfitted by 2016. The plan would choose the first 300 taxis through a lottery system.

The hearing drew about 50 participants, including government officials, representatives of the company that makes the accessible cabs, workers' associations, disabled citizens, and drivers.

"This proposal will catapult the city from the back of the pack to the front of the pack," said Rocco Iacullo, a lawyer with Philadelphia-based Disability Rights Network, who uses a wheelchair.

Until the three accessible taxis made it to the streets in the fall, Philadelphia was one of only 10 major U.S. cities that did not have wheelchair-friendly cabs.

Temple University law student Dynah Haubert, 28, said she often leaves the library late at night and must wait for the bus, sometimes in the rain and snow, because her chair prohibits her from hailing a cab.

While most speakers supported the proposal, opponents raised concerns over the fairness of the lottery system; the costs, $15,000 to $40,000, for retrofitting or replacing taxis; and the coordination necessary to dispatch accessible cabs from multiple companies.

James Ney, director of the Parking Authority's taxicab and limousine division, said the proposal was only a draft.