500,000 NYC Subway Riders Join Lawsuit Against MTA Over Accessibility

Earlier this week, a State Supreme Court Judge in New York ruled in favor of allowing 500,000 New York City subway riders to join a lawsuit filed against the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) on behalf of a coalition of accessibility rights advocates.  The lawsuit, which was filed in 2017, alleges that the MTA violated the Americans with Disability Act and the New York City Human Rights Law by denying individuals with disabilities access to almost 80% of subway stations.  

Currently, of New York City’s 472 subway stations, 360 lack elevators or ramps that provide access to individuals with disabilities.  The riders claim they have been excluded from and subjected to discrimination by the MTA because their access to jobs, school, and social events has been reduced.  New York City’s subway system is the longest (covering 846 miles of track) and most frequently used transit system in the United States; however, it ranks last among the country’s ten largest transit systems in terms of providing accessible stations to riders with disabilities. 

Prior to the lawsuit, the MTA intended to increase the number of accessible stations by 70, but the riders seek the MTA to commit to making all 472 subway stations accessible.  Individuals who believe they have received unequal access in the workplace, places of public accommodation, housing operated by the government, schools, or transportation facilities should contact a lawyer.