Kathleen Collins testifies on accessibility and wheelchair securement in ride-hail
Kathleen Collins, a native New Yorker with a disability, testifies that Vision Zero must ensure wheelchair-accessible ride-hail vehicles and proper securement. She says she rarely gets a proper seatbelt, shoulder belt, and four-point wheelchair securement, and fears retaliation if she complains.
Good afternoon, and thank you for doing this all day.
We really appreciate it.
My name is Kathleen Collins.
I'm a native New Yorker with a disability from birth.
And I'd like to just mention a few things.
First, if Vision Zero Reimagined expects people with disabilities to rely on such things as Uber, Lyft, and taxis, the New York City must ensure that enough wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available and that those vehicles provide safe,
properly secured rides.
As a wheelchair user, I cannot take for granted that I will be able to get into a vehicle, travel safely, and arrive at my destination.
Every time I use the taxi or ride share service, I face questions that other passengers may never have to consider.
Will the vehicle accommodate my wheelchair?
Will I be properly secured with a seatbelt, shoulder belt, and four-point securement?
Will the driver even pick me up after accepting my ride?
I have an experience.
I have experienced receiving a proper seatbelt, shoulder belt, and four-point wheelchair securement so rarely that it is like spotting a unicorn.
Despite instructions and pictures posted inside the vehicle showing how wheelchairs must be secured and that there needs to be a seatbelt and shoulder belt, these basic safety requirements are still not...
Consistently met.
In fact, I hardly ever get a proper seatbelt or shoulder belt.
Are disabled passengers expected to prosecute every violator only to risk being denied future rides?
I mean, I could spend my whole life bringing in complaints, but I don't want to do that to their drivers.
I like them.
They help me, but they need to be...
I don't know what's, there's a disconnect that needs to be fixed so that they understand that we need our seatbelts and shoulder belts and a wheelchair seatbelt or shoulder belt is not sufficient.
Just one other thing.
Vi refuses, must also be...
Thank you for your testimony.
Time has expired.
Okay, thank you.
Next up, we have Tal Litwin, followed by Felipe Castillo.
You may begin.
Al, you're unmuted.