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HARRISBURG BECOMES SECOND PENNSYLVANIA CITY TO OFFER WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXI SERVICE New taxi will be introduced during a press conference on February 17 at the Capitol Building (Harrisburg, PA) - In a collaborative effort, the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania (CILCP), Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), American Taxi and Capital Area Transit (CAT) will introduce the joint effort to create wheelchair accessible taxi service in the Harrisburg area. The dedication ceremony and press conference will be held behind the Capitol along Commonwealth Avenue on February 17, 2005 at 9:00 a.m. This event will make Harrisburg the second city in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh also has an accessible taxi) with wheelchair accessible taxi service. Leaders from the collaborating organizations aim to expand this service in Harrisburg and hope that other cities across the country use it as a model. "This is something that has been needed for a long time," Theotis Braddy, CILCP's executive director said. "Not everybody realizes it, but the standard taxi cab is not accessible to those who use wheelchairs. This is an excellent start toward expanding the availability of public transportation to everyone in our community." The push for taxi accessibility in Harrisburg started a few years ago with an advocacy group, Accessible Communities Today (ACT) led by Vini Portzline. Portzline started her campaign after she was unable to rush to her friend's side in the hospital due to the lack of transportation options for people who use wheelchairs. Portzline and other advocates worked with the City Council to develop the "Harrisburg Accessible Taxi Ordinance." Her continued efforts have lead to the launch of Harrisburg's first wheelchair accessible taxi. Although the city of Harrisburg passed the "Harrisburg Accessible Taxi Ordinance" in June 2001, the taxi companies were unable to finance the special vehicles. CILCP, PennDOT, PUC and CAT joined forces to obtain funding for a vehicle and worked with American Taxi to modify a van and train taxi drivers. Jim Salinger, General Manager of American Taxi, is pleased to help fulfill a need within the community. "Our dispatch center routinely receives calls from individuals inquiring about wheelchair accessible transportation," he said. "This taxicab is a big step forward, although I foresee the need for additional taxis in the future. As of now, we will be able to serve persons who use wheelchairs based on the availability of our van." According to Salinger, people who need wheelchair accessible transportation should call the dispatch center. As soon as the van is available, it will be dispatched to the clients' location. Salinger asks that potential riders remain patient and are understanding about potential wait-time. One solution Salinger suggests is purchasing vans that serve the general population but can be easily converted or transfigured to meet the needs of people using wheelchairs. CILCP approached CAT to help with project funding. The two organizations worked together to obtain necessary grants. CAT also determined the necessary specifications for the van, put the vehicle out on bid and purchased the van. CAT's current Share-A-Ride program is a door-to-door bus service that provides transportation to senior citizens, riders with disabilities and the general public throughout Dauphin County. The Share-A-Ride program runs daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, with the new accessible taxi, people using wheelchairs will be able to access personal transportation around the clock on a first-come basis. According to CAT, there is a tremendous need for wheelchair accessible transportation across the country as well as the city of Harrisburg and they are proud to be a part of this collaborative effort to help people with disabilities in the community live more independently. In addition to CILCP, CAT and American Taxi's efforts, the Public Utility Commission's (PUC) Bureau of Transportation and Safety acted as a facilitator in making sure that all appropriate parties participated in this important effort. The PUC has a longstanding and proven record of supporting people with disabilities through special awareness campaigns and other initiatives. According to CILCP's Braddy, PennDOT also played an important role in the effort to obtain a wheelchair accessible taxi for Harrisburg. "PennDOT partially funded this program through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 'Transportation for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities' grant program," Braddy said. The program (49 U.S.C. 5310) provides funding to States to assist private nonprofit groups meet the transportation needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. PennDOT administers this federal program through the FTA. The wheelchair accessible taxi will be dedicated to the community on Thursday, February 17, 2005 at 9:00 a.m. behind the Capitol Building along Commonwealth Avenue. Representatives from CILCP, CAT, PUC, PennDOT and American Taxi will join local and state officials including Rep. Richard Geist (R-79), Chairman of the Transportation Committee, and Linda Lingle, Business Administrator for the City of Harrisburg, to publicly introduce the taxicab to the community. A media alert with additional information regarding the press conference will be disseminated in the near future. The wheelchair accessible taxi is currently running and accepting fares throughout the Capitol Region. If you are a person who uses a wheelchair and need transportation, call American Taxi's dispatch center at 717.901.TAXI (8294). The Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonresidential organization established for and by people with disabilities and serves Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin, and Juniata counties. CILCP's vision is to empower people with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of society. For more information on the CILCP visit www.cilcp.org or contact Nathan Pigott at 717-975-2148 or via email at npigott@hersheyphilbin.com. Back to the Newsroom