Three More Subway Stations Made Fully Accessible in July; Progress Toward 2020-2024 Capital Program Commitment to Making 67 Additional Subway Stations, 96% of LIRR Stations Fully Accessible
Authority Installs New Accessible Wayfinding Features at Subway Stations and Bus Stops, Expands Open Stroller Program and Launches Automatic Wheelchair Securement Pilots on Buses
First-Ever MTA Employee Accessibility Awards and Other Events Engage Colleagues and Community in Disability Pride Month
See Photos Highlighting MTA Disability Pride Month Events Here
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) continues to celebrate Disability Pride Month by expanding accessibility initiatives on subways and buses, including bringing three more fully accessible subway stations across three boroughs online this month alone. On July 17, the Authority opened a new elevator to make the Court Sq 
station in Queens fully accessible. On July 20, the MTA announced that the Dyckman St 
and 8 Av 
stations are now fully accessible following the completion of elevator projects at both stations.
All three new elevators installed include the latest technology to support customer safety and communications, such as emergency two-way communication system which gives riders the ability to communicate with dispatchers in the event of an emergency via standard voice communications or visually by answering on-screen questions, which improves communication for Deaf or hard-of-hearing riders.
The elevator projects are part of the MTA’s larger commitment to accessibility. In 2022, the MTA reached an agreement with disability advocates to continue its historic pace of station accessibility projects to make at least 95% of the currently inaccessible New York City subway system stations accessible by 2055.
The 2020-2024 Capital Program includes making 67 additional subway stations accessible via elevator or ramp projects, with 2 stations now complete, 20 stations in construction and 17 more planned for award by the end of 2023. An additional 11 stations funded in prior capital programs are also currently in construction, with two complete this month.
In last year’s update to the MTA Board, MTA Construction & Development announced they will accelerate accessible projects at eight Long Island Rail Road stations. Once those projects are completed, 96% of LIRR stations will be fully accessible.
Marking Disability Pride Month Across the MTA
The MTA’s commitment to accessibility extends far beyond vertical access in subway and rail stations, with projects launched during Disability Pride Month to improve wayfinding and customer experience, enhance the ability of customers to ride the bus comfortably and independently, and improving the experience for our 160,000 Access-A-Ride paratransit riders.
“Accessibility is of course essential for customers with disabilities, and it’s also about parents traveling with strollers, visitors navigating our system for the first time with luggage, and essential workers moving around by bike or with large objects,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer and Senior Advisor Quemuel Arroyo. “This broad definition of accessibility is coming to life across the MTA in the 1000 buses now equipped with an open stroller space, the new self-securement system for buses we started testing this week, and the accessible wayfinding features being rolled out in subway stations and at bus stops to help customers who are blind, low-vision, or have limited English proficiency navigate our system. Every one of these projects will make it easier for customers with access needs to navigate our transit system with comfort, confidence, and independence. I am so proud that we are advancing all of these projects during Disability Pride Month, while getting accessible stations online at a faster pace than ever before.”
Rollout of Wayfinding Features at Manhattan Subway Stations and Bus Stops
On July 18, MTA leaders were joined by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and disability advocates at the 66 St – Lincoln Center station to announce the rollout of wayfinding features to help customers with disabilities and other access needs. With funding secured by Senator Hoylman-Sigal the the MTA is rolling out some of the successful features that were previously tested as part of the 2019 Accessible Station Lab at the Jay St-MetroTech subway station.
These new features include floor decals on subway platforms that indicate accessible boarding areas, tactile subway line maps and NaviLens wayfinding signage. NaviLens is an app that uses unique codes to provide audio and visual wayfinding guidance and arrival status information, in upwards of 40 languages.
Features are now in place at the 66 St – Lincoln Center Station and on the M66 bus route, with more stations to follow throughout 2023.
More information about these wayfinding features can be found here: https://new.mta.info/accessibility/expanding-innovative-solutions
Automatic Wheelchair Securement Device Pilot
On Monday, July 24, the MTA announced a six-month pilot to test?an automated wheelchair securement device, the Quantum Self Securement Station, on ten buses along the M7 route.
The system is designed to allow people using manual or power wheelchairs to independently secure themselves on a bus with just the push of a button. Currently, bus operators must leave their seat to secure a wheelchair in place and free the wheelchair from its position to let the customer off. Quantum streamlines that process, which we hope will improve the experience for our customers who use wheelchairs and speed up the bus for all riders.
The?M7 was chosen?because of the high-volume of mobility device. Customers will know if their bus has Quantum by a decal on the side of the bus near the front-boarding door. There will be one Quantum Self Securement Station on each of the ten buses. Passengers will still have the option to?use the traditional 4-point securement with the assistance of a bus operator, if preferred, and M7 operators are trained on both securement options.
More information about Quantum can be found here: https://new.mta.info/accessibility/quantum
E-Hail Pilot Program Expansion
At the end of June, the Authority announced an expansion of the E-Hail pilot, tripling its participants to 3,600 paratransit customers beginning August 2023.
E-Hail is an on-demand service that offers Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers the opportunity to book trips in real-time through existing taxi or for-hire vehicle service. The next phase of this program is set to run through February 2024, and could be extended through August 2024 after a six-month review.
This expansion will be launched with a larger, more representative sample of Access-A-Ride customers with a $4 co-pay and has two programs: one with a greater per trip subsidy, the Distance option, and the other with a greater number of subsidized trips per month, the High- Volume option.
More information on E-Hail can be found here: https://new.mta.info/ehail
Second Phase of Open Stroller Pilot
In early July, the MTA announced that it had completed the installation of a dedicated open stroller space on over 1,000 buses on 57 routes in all five boroughs. This second phase of the open stroller pilot program was completed months ahead of schedule after being originally announced in March with a Fall 2023 completion goal.
These 57 local and select routes served a combined 250,000 daily weekly riders in 2021 and include some of the busiest routes in the system. The dedicated open stroller space allows riders with young children to board without needing to fold their strollers.
More information about the Open Stroller Program can be found here: https://new.mta.info/accessibility/bus-stroller-areas
Honoring Accessibility Heroes Across the MTA
On July 25, the MTA held its first-ever Accessibility Employee Awards. The awards ceremony honored 35 outstanding employees – and their teams – who represent departments and divisions across the MTA and whose work underlies the MTA’s continued commitment to make the system more accessible. Many of the teams and employees honored had a direct role in the diverse array of accessibility initiatives that the MTA announced this month. Chair Lieber and senior leadership from the MTA honored employees in multiple categories including leader, innovator, partner, and hero.