Extends and expands the scope of the on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot to include an additional 1,200 users.
This bill extends the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot, a service created in 2017 that allows Access-A-Ride users to obtain immediate rides through a smartphone app or phone service. It would keep the pilot operating through March 31, 2027 and require the MTA to expand the pilot by adding 1,200 additional Access-A-Ride users by March 16, 2026.
The bill also sets operating conditions for the pilot. Fares must match the MTA’s base bus and subway fare, service hours must align with the MTA’s bus, subway, and other paratransit hours, and participating riders cannot have their trip length, duration, or number of rides limited or restricted. The MTA must select new users as a representative sample of Access-A-Ride riders, taking into account age, disability, geographic distribution in New York City, and frequency of use, and must report on ridership, usage patterns, and costs by April 13, 2027.
The bill amends the public authorities law and the transportation law to formally extend and broaden the on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot and to impose statutory requirements on the MTA’s administration of that program. It creates a legal mandate for continued operation, expansion to additional riders, fare parity with standard transit base fares, and a reporting obligation to state and city officials. The measure affects the MTA, Access-A-Ride users, and the state funding framework because the expansion may only be implemented with state or other governmental appropriations and cannot exceed prior funding levels for the pilot.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a service expansion and continuation for riders with disabilities rather than a controversial policy change. The sponsors suggest support for improving paratransit access, reliability, and availability. No formal vote history or transcript is provided, so there is no documented opposition or support beyond the bill’s sponsor list and its stated purpose.
The main potential points of contention are fiscal and operational. The bill limits the MTA from spending above the pilot’s 2019 funding level and requires expansion only with outside appropriations, which may raise questions about whether sufficient funding will be available. Another possible issue is how the MTA will choose the additional 1,200 riders while ensuring a representative sample across age, disability, geography, and ridership patterns. Some stakeholders may also focus on whether the pilot should be expanded permanently versus kept as a time-limited program, but no explicit opposition is recorded in the provided materials.