accessible taxi service for the person with a disability who lives
and/or works in the respective company's geographical territory. Both
companies are currently licensed to provide traditional taxi service,
but plan to expand their territories to include portions of Greater
Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport where Metro Taxi and The Yellow Cab
Company are not currently licensed.
The companies will purchase 140 wheelchair accessible taxis, featuring the recently introduced paratransit vehicle, the MV-1. This vehicle,manufactured in the USA, is fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG)
which will improve upon local air quality and reduce our dependency on
foreign oil. Its spacious interior is large enough to accommodate two
wheelchairs.
To better serve the disability community, Metro Taxi ("Metro
Access") and The Yellow Cab Company ("Green Access Taxi") have
asked the Department of Transportation (DOT) for an additional 140 taxi
permits. DOT hearings have been scheduled and the companies must
demonstrate why the proposed expanded territories are essential to
public need. This is the most difficult part of the initiative, as we
require testifiers from each territory applied for to produce
compelling testimony as to why the proposed service is essential in fulfilling
everyday transportation needs.
There are two Connecticut Department of Transportation hearings scheduled:
If you would like to attend one of the hearings and/or testify, please contact us to obtain a time slot ASAP: . Also, if you need assistance with transportation, please let us know.
The hearing location is The Connecticut Department of Transportation, 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131. There will be signage directing attendees to the hearing room.
The following are questions that have been raised over the past few months. It is our hope that we are able to answer any question you may have regarding the initiative.
Green Access Taxi is headquartered in Bloomfield and is applying for permits to serve Avon, Barkhamsted, Berlin, Bloomfield, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hartland, Manchester, Newington, New Britain, Rocky Hill,
Simsbury, Somers, Southington, South Windsor, Stafford, Suffield, Vernon, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks.
Metro Access is headquartered in West Haven and is applying for permits to serve Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Bridgeport,
Cheshire, Clinton, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Fairfield, Guilford, Hamden,
Madison, Meriden, Middlefield, Milford, Monroe, Naugatuck, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.
Most of the selected towns are already serviced by our respective companies. All wheelchair accessible vehicles will be purchased as new CNG taxis and will be fueled at our individual headquarters. Since
there are few alternative fueling stations in Connecticut, the territories
selected must be reasonably close to our own fueling stations. With the
anticipated success of the CNG initiative, a future goal would be to
expand wheelchair accessible taxi service to additional areas of the
state.
Both taxi companies will provide demand-response wheelchair accessible
taxi transportation. This means that there are no requirements to book
your transportation in advance. Our service will be available 24 hours
per day, 7 days per week. Metro Taxi and The Yellow Cab Company offer
the latest in computer dispatch technology with GPS tracking, allowing
us to provide the most effective and efficient service to all our
customers. For the utmost convenience, we will offer advanced
reservations.
All taxi passengers traveling in the wheelchair accessible taxi pay
exactly the same as all other taxi passengers; there is no additional
charge for wheelchair service. Up to four passengers may travel
together for the same price, and the taxicab will accommodate two wheelchairs.
Also, DOT regulations state that all taxicab companies operating in the
same area must charge all passengers the same metered rate.
Yes. Beginning early in 2011, Metro Taxi, in a partnership with the Greater New Haven Transit District, will be participating in a Connecticut first, the New Freedom Taxi Voucher Program. The program
will provide the Greater New Haven (disability) community with a 50%
reduction on taxi fares. This is a new funding project for Connecticut
and should be available by Feb 1st.
We plan to provide wheelchair accessible taxi service with approximately the same response time as our current taxi service
(typically within 15 minutes). The combined proposed territory is
extensive, stretching from Enfield to Fairfield. It is densely
populated and contains most of the state's medical facilities. Should we be
successful in adding 140 accessible taxicabs to the proposed area, the
resulting ratio of accessible taxicabs would only be approximately 15%.
We're hoping we've requested enough permits.
Yes, all drivers will be trained to assist in boarding. In addition, drivers will be instructed using the _Easter Seals Project Action Taxicab Pocket Guide_, which provides guidance in transporting people with disabilities.
Metro Access and Green Access are participating in a U.S. Department of Energy grant program designed to convert fleet vehicles across the
nation to alternative fuels, improving upon our air quality and reducing
our dependence on foreign oil. The grant will support the additional
cost to convert a new vehicle to CNG fueling. Since we're already
committed to using CNG, we decided to go the extra distance and
purchase new MV-1 paratransit vehicles. The MV-1's are accessible, can
accommodate two (2) wheelchairs, and are available as CNG taxicabs.
Yes; and even safer. Currently, there are over 12 million such vehicles
worldwide. The vehicles have an excellent safety record for two primary
reasons: 1.) the property of the fuel itself and the integrity of the
natural gas vehicle; 2.) its fuel delivery system. New natural gas
vehicles are subjected to the same federal government safety standards
and crash tests as other vehicles. Based upon a survey of 8,331
natural gas utility, school, municipal, and business fleet vehicles that
traveled 178.3 million miles, the NGV fleet had an injury rate 37%
lower than that of the gasoline fleet vehicle rate. (Clean Vehicle Education
Foundation, revised 9-17-2010).
Metro Taxi,
The Yellow Cab Company,
MV-1 vehicles,
Clean Vehicle Education Foundation,
Connecticut Clean Cities,
National Council for Independent Living,
Connecticut State Independent Living Council,
_Fueling the Future_, Vol. 1, 2010/2011:
Americans with Disabilities Act Coalition of Connecticut Names Metro Taxi and Metropolitan Livery President and CEO Bill Scalzi to Board of Directors.
You may direct any and all questions or need for additional information to:
Daria Smith at or cell phone at (860) 681-7599 or Debbie Melaragno
at or office phone at (860) 523-0126.
Debbie Melaragno
Administrative Assistant
CT State Independent Living Council
151 New Park Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
(860) 523-0126 (phone)
(860) 586-7024 (fax)
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