The end New York’s confusing rooftop taxi-light system is near
![The new “apple green” taxis. [via Kristen Artz/ Azi’s morning briefing]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3amz6JO1Q1qc0o3ko1_500.jpg)
The new “apple green” taxis. [via Kristen Artz/ Azi’s morning briefing]
"So in a hail-a-cab system, where it takes five minutes to get a cab, what’s the equivalence to that? Is it an hour? Is it 20 minutes. I think an hour is burdensome, right? Everyone’s threshold is going to be in a different place, but one thing everyone can agree on is if all taxis are accessible, it would be equivalent."
— Jim Weisman, general counsel for the United Spinal Association, on a court’s broad decision to mandate “meaningful” taxi service for the disabled in New York City.
"We were all told the odds against us were high, and that the Albany lobby was too powerful and that the improved taxi service law was dead in the water. But we refused to believe that that was true. We refused to bow down to the special interests. And when they hired every lobbyist in town we kept fighting, because we had the people on our side. This is the right thing for New York City."
— Mayor Bloomberg on the recently approved outer-borough taxi plan, which will allow 18,000 newly empowered livery-car drivers to pick up street hails, and allow the city to auction off 2,000 wheelchair-accessible yellow taxi medallions.
