Yes, the Volunteer Auxiliary Police Sergeant is not a NYPD Sergeant. We have to be clear about that.

Yes, he is allowed to use Access-a-ride, has a card to ride Access-a-ride. He had to have a doctor's note to get the card.

Yes, he paid the full fair just like everyone else.

No, he did not carry the banner the whole parade. You only get to see part of the parade.

Yes, he was in pain after walking but he did it proudly.

Did the reporter give he a chance to answer his questions off camera and protect his privacy? No,

Instead the reporter ambushed him.

So why pick him out?

Why follow Him???

Maybe because he questioned to APBA president why he could not see the books.

At the time he was the First Vice President and thought he should be able to see the books.

Now, Mr. Hyland, the President of the APBA is under investigation by the NYPD Internal affairs & by the New York State Office of the Attorney General.

Now who call the reporter and gave him the tip to follow Mr. Lawin?

Humm!

Touche!

Has anyone ever seen a passenger in one of those vans?

If the Access-A-Ride system was created in response to the lack of access in the subway system, why are the people taken door-to-door? Shouldn't the vans just run along the subway routes?

I'll again ask other Gothamist readers to engage in, as I have done, an informal, unscientific study of Access-A-Ride vehicles on the streets of NYC. When out and about in NYC and you see an Access-A-Ride van, check out how many passengers are in the vehicle. In my nearly year-long informal survey, I have rarely seen more than 2 passengers in the vehicle. Often it is only 1 passenger - even more often the vehicle has no passengers.

I understand that the vehicle may be returning to its base location, or at certain hours, Access-A-Ridership would normally be low. But observe these vehicles at all hours, as I do, and see, if like me, you rarely see more than 2 passengers.

My unscientific conclusion: there are far more Access-A-Ride vehicles plying the streets of NYC than is necessary.

These vans are a horror show for the disabled people who must ride them. The rides need to be booked far in advance and are run like jitneys, so that the ride is not necessarily direct and can take hours. A friend of mine who needed to use a wheel chair was often left waiting outside for up to an hour in all kinds of weather waiting for the van. I've also seen the vans pass by a rider because the driver could not find the address--in this case I chased the van and driver down the block to tell him he'd gone right by his passenger. If more cabs were wheelchair- or leg-brace friendly, it would be a mercy to let physically disabled people have access to them.

the car was idling for one hour? wth?

seems fucked up, that parade cop is AUX, volunteer,

and it looks like he has a FAKE leg, if he QUALIFIES to use the service no harm no foul.

the guy sleeping not sleepin on the job.

its not like a TAXI service, if hes waiting for the next trip or on a lunch break, then fall asleep my man! sleep well...just drive awake.

thats some creepy stalking and actually very improper to imply that if he can walk in a parade or walk up steps then he shouldnt use access a ride. classic blame the little guy, run it as a non profit and then blame the big guy taking a huge profit for running these vans. im sure the average rider and low paid driver is not whats eating up all the $$$.

I liked Channel 5 better when it was DuMont.

Nah, it was best when it was Metromedia.

Did anyone else notice the Access-A-Ride bus go by the reporter and the fake cop when they were crossing the street? Kinda funny.

There's always waste in these programs. I'm surprised avg cost is only $66 per ride.

Let's pay more in taxes to create more jobs!

I've often thought that the drivers themselves are in some kind of rehabilitation program (community service? parole?) They drive like absolute maniacs.

The question is how much of the 451 million is _not_ abuse of the system.

He's not a cop. He's an auxilary, an unpaid volunteer.

You're fired, asshole!

If anyone would like to read up on what is going on with para-transit both in NYC and in the country, they should check out http://www.emilyfkeller.com/

It is a cornucopia of esoteric knowledge on a subject that has been constantly mishandled by the city.

Nothing really, I just felt like replying to shit today.

Not only is it extraordinarily expensive, from what I hear the service is horrid, often leaving people stranded for hours.