Image of accessible icon or symbol ( person in wheelchair logo) in black on white background included in the picture for podcast. Upbeat instrumental music fades in and then gradually fades out after 60 seconds. Dustin/Guest DJ: Hello and welcome to Ability Anyware Radio, a disability advocacy podcast. Today is Thursday, May 9, 2019. Today's segment is on accessible transportation for people with disabilities right here in New York City (NYC). As you all know, myself included, traveling around the city can be very difficult for a person with a disability. However, there is a solution to that. That solution is Accessible Dispatch.We will be interviewing a representative from Accessible Dispatch, based right here in NYC. Hello! Crys: Hey! My name is Crys Cooper. I'm the program director of the Accessible Dispatch program on behalf of Medical Transportation Management or MTM, as we're frequently called. Thank you so much for having me here today! (Laughter) Dustin/Guest DJ: Thank you for being here. Crys: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Dustin/Guest DJ: Great! So I want to definitely ask you some more questions to get a better insight on how Accessible Dispatch works. So, tell me, tell us, really, what is Accessible Dispatch? Crys: Oh, Accessible Dispatch is awesome! It's a taxi service, essentially. What we do is that we dispatch wheelchair accessible taxis, or just accessible taxis, to anyone who wants one in NYC. Dustin/Guest DJ: Uh huh! So how does it work? How would I get one?
Crys: Ok, so you can contact us in a number of ways. You can give us call. You can go online on our website and book a trip that way. Or you can download our app and request a trip. There are so many different parts of it. You can track your trip. You can give us a call throughout to contact drivers. If let's say you move down the block, or something to that effect. Overall, you can just give us a call, download our app (available for both Apple and Android devices through the App Store or Google Play Store respectively), or go online to request a trip. Dustin/Guest DJ: So now when it comes to cost, how does that work? Because a lot of people are afraid, especially people in the disability community. They are really afraid to take taxis. They are so afraid that it may be too high. How do you generate the cost?
Crys: You see me shaking my head right now. That's a question that we get every single day. Unfortunately, I can't give you the answer about how much your specific trip is going to cost you. What I can say is that it's based on the metered fare.
Dustin/Guest DJ: Oh, so it's just the meter.
Crys: It's just the metered fare. Yes, I want to put all of the concerns to rest. You don't pay anything before the ride. You don't pay anything after the ride. If you want to tip, that's completely up to you. That's just based on the gratuity. What you want to give the driver. What the purpose and what you're paying for is just the ride itself. The meter starts when you are ready to go. The meter ends when you arrive at your destination. Now there's other stuff that MTM takes care of on the side. We do pay drivers. We incentivize them for taking our dispatch trips. What do I mean by that? So, what we do is we give drivers an incentive based on an estimated amount of time and the distance that they are going to pick up the passenger. What that does is ensures us that this driver is not going to pick up street hail along the way.
I don't know about you, but I'm a businesswoman. Money right now is always really exciting.
What we're doing is essentially saying hey driver, you have a trip. We're going to incentivize you while you're going, but when the passenger and you meet, that's when they take over and they just pay for the cost of their trip. That's never a burden to the passenger. Dustin/Guest DJ: So pretty much everybody is winning. I like the concept. We're pretty much traveling like any other New Yorker. Crys: Absolutely! Dustin/Guest DJ: We're traveling by the meter. It's 100% fair. We can go anywhere we want, just like any other New Yorker. It's such a great idea. I have used Accessible Dispatch myself. I love it. And I can honestly say and vouch for it. It does work. Crys: Thank you. Dustin/Guest DJ: I've used it A LOT. Sometimes you even make friendships, so to speak. Cause you're using accessible cabs. Crys: Mmmm Hmmmm...
Dustin/Guest DJ: And sometimes, if you're leaving from the same area, and you have certain cab drivers who like to stay around certain areas. So, you'll probably see the same person again.
Crys: I think that's hilarious (laughter) that you're saying that. Dustin/Guest DJ: I've had that happen. Crys: It happens all the time. It's really interesting. We have some drivers. We do some training on the side as well. Dustin/Guest DJ: Tell us! Crys: We engage (laughter) one on one-on-one with drivers. We get some guys, just going back to what you were saying, that are what we call high propensity drivers. These guys are so into the program. They call us all the time saying: Hey, can I get more work? Can I get more work? I love working with the population of people that always call you. And they are unique to your program. I like to make sure that I get all the Accessible Dispatch trips I can possibly handle. I think that it's really cool that as a passenger, you've experienced the driver always kind of in your area, wanting to pick you up. I'm really happy that translates over. Dustin/Guest DJ: I have this one particular friend of mine. Who I can say NOW IS a friend! Crys: Okay (laughter). Dustin/Guest Dj: He's met my family. He's been to my mother's house. We've eaten together. Crys: No way! Dustin: Yeah, really nice guy. So you make almost like a brotherhood, like a bond, with some of these drivers. And that's what I like about it. So, do you guys have any things in the future planned out, as far as continuing the program, any changes, any hidden things to look forward to? Crys: Hidden gems that are coming down the pipeline (laughter)?! We are always looking to grow. We are always looking to expand. So, one thing that we did over the last year is we expanded the program. So once upon a time, it was only for those that were requesting a pickup in Manhattan. And then in January 2018, we expanded the program citywide.
Our focus at the tail end of last year, and really a lot of focus this year, is getting those out of borough passengers aware that this program is available for them. So, I'm a Brooklynite. I live and breathe and work and just stay in Brooklyn (laughter). Dustin/Guest DJ: Oh man!
Crys: I'm one of those New Yorkers that never really comes to the city. And it's hard to get a taxi sometimes. So, the goal is to make sure that people in the outer boroughs know that they have accessible transportation available to them 24/7. So, we're spending a lot of time hopefully this summer, by the shore, like Far Rockaway and Coney Island. And letting those communities know that they have this option. You're a New Yorker. You need a taxi. Give us a call. That's what we want. Or (whispers) go online or the app (laughter). Dustin/Guest DJ: My mother lives in Far Rockaway. And it is very difficult to get an accessible cab out there. Crys: Oh yeah.
Dustin/Guest DJ: It's really awesome what you guys are doing. Just one more time, tell us how to reach you, any email, social media, websites that we can go to. Crys: Of course, Because this is the age that we live in. We have all our multiple handles. I want to make sure that I get them right (laughter). Dustin/Guest DJ: Yes, please, tell us all. Crys: On Twitter, we're on @NYCAccessible and on Facebook: Accessible Dispatch. You can follow us. You can message us. We like to interact with people. So, we're really big fans of that. If you ever just want to email us and just ask us how things are going or if there's any questions that you have on your specific area, that's accessibledispatch.com. There's a form there you just fill out. Leave your name and phone number. Tell us your great stories. We want to hear that as well. Dustin/Guest DJ: Awesome!
Crys: Or just give us a call. We're at 646-599-9999. You can't forget it with all those nines.
Dustin/Guest DJ: This is definitely a benefit and a blessing to New Yorkers with disabilities everywhere. Thank you so, so much for being a part of that program.
Because this is a next wave of accessible transportation for this group. And the people with disabilities, and the community, as a whole, we really like what you guys are doing.
Crys: Thank you so much. We're really excited to be able to partner with you Dustin. Your group is amazing. You guys are just rocking and rolling.
We're big fans. So, anything that we can do to absolutely support advocates and industry leaders like you. We want to be partners with you.
Dustin/Guest DJ: Thank you. Make sure you come out to the Disability Pride Parade this year!
Crys: We're always there with our booths, throwing out T-shirts and flyers. We got good swag every year. We change it up. So, make it a point to stop by our booth at the Pride Parade! (laughter) Dustin/Guest DJ: Awesome! Will you guys have any vehicles on display?
Crys: Yes, we will! We bring one every year. We'll be there. You can try us out. Ask us questions.
You can get in the vehicle. Make sure that you're comfortable are in it, absolutely. We love that!
Dustin/Guest DJ: That's great that you can actually go into the vehicle and see what works for you. And how comfortable you are in it. Crys: Oh yeah, we're people first. That's what really matters. So, we want to make sure the ride is safe. Because this is transportation. So, safety is paramount, but comfortable and enjoyable. Please download rest of (and entire) transcript here:
https://we.tl/t-P2yQz4y293