Dallas, Texas is a serious American metropolis, residence to Dallas-Fort Price Worldwide Airport, one of many nation’s largest airports and the hometown hub of American Airways. Dallas is a largely wheelchair-friendly metropolis which I’ve catalogued within the free Dallas, Texas Wheelchair Accessible Journey Information. I hope you journey there — I’m certain you’ll adore it simply as a lot as I do.

However, if you happen to plan to go to, be ready to hire an accessible van or experience public transportation, as you’re unlikely to discover a wheelchair taxi. Should you flip up at DFW Airport and wish a wheelchair accessible experience, you received’t discover one. The one accessible transportation obtainable from DFW Airport, other than the sunshine rail, was the SuperShuttle shared experience vans — the pandemic killed these.

Whereas the image above is of a wheelchair taxi in Dallas, town contracts that van for its paratransit service. Somebody like me, a customer and traveler, doesn’t have quick access to Dallas paratransit and, whereas Yellow Cab would possibly settle for my order for an accessible taxi, none will present. I’ve tried many, many occasions. I’ve had accommodations name on my behalf. I’ve been stranded at DFW Airport late at night time as a result of there isn’t any accessible transportation, and nobody may do something to assist.

This isn’t an issue restricted to the Metropolis of Dallas. Wheelchair taxis are disappearing from many cities, in the event that they ever existed in any respect. Numerous small cities (and massive ones) are devoid of wheelchair accessible transportation. After I wrote “Quarantined for Life? Disabled Individuals in Rural Areas Lack Accessible Transportation,” many readers who stay in locations which can be bona fide cities reported experiencing the identical lack of transportation entry. “I’ve many locations that I wish to go however no method to get there,” wrote one reader.

Governments on the native, state and federal degree have fallen asleep on the wheel — rideshare has eviscerated the taxi enterprise, whereas Uber and Lyft have failed to offer wheelchair accessible providers in all however the handful of cities which have had the braveness to face up for disabled residents and guests. Reality be informed, it’s not even a handful and, even in these cities, accessible rideshare is way from equitable.

We deserve higher, and it’s time for the federal government to rethink the regulation of taxi and rideshare providers. The loopholes cab corporations use to depart disabled individuals caught in a single day in gasoline station parking tons have to be closed.

Tomorrow, I will likely be testifying earlier than the Nationwide Council on Incapacity, which is in search of public remark on the next questions associated to floor transportation:

• Should you requested a wheelchair accessible van (WAV) via a taxi firm, did the corporate have a WAV? If the corporate didn’t have WAVs in its fleet, did the taxi service provide to offer you a WAV via a unique firm? Was the worth similar to a non-accessible taxi?
• Should you requested a WAV from a rideshare firm, did the corporate have a WAV? If not, have been you referred to a service that did? Was the worth similar to a non-accessible rideshare?
• Have you ever filed a criticism with the U.S. Division of Justice or the U.S. Division of Transportation about discrimination by a taxi firm or a rideshare relating to lack of WAVs? If that’s the case, what was the outcome?
• Is paratransit obtainable in your neighborhood? What are the professionals and cons of utilizing this service? What must be modified?

You are also invited to handle the council through the public assembly, or to share written solutions to those questions.

The Nationwide Council on Incapacity advises the President of the USA and the federal authorities on issues of incapacity coverage — your testimony will assist council members higher perceive the challenges wheelchair customers face in securing transportation, and should affect their coverage suggestions.

For extra info on Thursday’s public assembly, scheduled for 1 p.m. to five:30 p.m. EST (New York time), go to the Nationwide Council on Incapacity web site. Public feedback will likely be heard from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and it’s vital that you simply register prematurely (directions offered on the hyperlink above).

I hope to see you on the digital assembly tomorrow!

Some housekeeping — A real e-newsletter will comply with later this week, that includes the discharge of my up to date and expanded Boston Wheelchair Accessible Journey Information, which has taken quite a lot of effort and time to develop. The part outlining wheelchair accessible issues to do in Boston is 4,000 phrases, and that is only one part of essentially the most detailed journey information I’ve ever produced. I’m excited to share it with you!

Wishing you all the easiest,
— John