As someone who has a small child, and lives in a city with properly accessible public transportation (Tokyo), I can tell you that NYC's subway system fucking sucks for accessibility. They only have elevators every 2-3 stops, and often those elevators are broken. It's an embarrassment.
Sure, you can use buses, but the buses are way less frequent than the trains, and you're waiting for them out in the cold, heat, or rain, often with no cover and no bench. If there's service on a subway line, it's possible there's no accessible route to where you're going, which could require a few bus transfers as an alternative.
Access-a-ride is a great concept, but one that shouldn't need to exist, and doesn't cover the full spectrum of folks who rely on accessible transport.
I'm a huge proponent of public transportation, and haven't owned a car in 15 years, but let's not give NYC a pass on this. Every station should have at least one elevator, and should be fully accessible.
Sure, you can use buses, but the buses are way less frequent than the trains, and you're waiting for them out in the cold, heat, or rain, often with no cover and no bench. If there's service on a subway line, it's possible there's no accessible route to where you're going, which could require a few bus transfers as an alternative.
Access-a-ride is a great concept, but one that shouldn't need to exist, and doesn't cover the full spectrum of folks who rely on accessible transport.
I'm a huge proponent of public transportation, and haven't owned a car in 15 years, but let's not give NYC a pass on this. Every station should have at least one elevator, and should be fully accessible.