Chalk up another one for the notoriously sloppy Access-A-Ride drivers. WABC reports that nine people were injured on Staten Island yesterday afternoon after an Access-A-Ride a bus and two vehicles collided. Eight of the victims were seriously injured, and one person is in critical condition. The cause of the accident is "under investigation," but we all know who was at fault here, don't we? (Hint: It rhymes with Axes Denied "we messed up.") more ›

Seriously: On Roosevelt Island's Main Street earlier this morning, an Access-A-Ride van—which "provides transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service for some or all of their trips"—hit and drove over a 61-year-old man in a wheelchair. Roosevelt Islander got this tip: more ›

Yesterday New Yorkers received their second stern warning in a week about the dire state of the MTA. "I don't see much basis for hope. I'm very concerned," said Lt. Gov. Ravitch, top liaison to the MTA, according to the Post. As the agency wrestles with a $383 million budget gap, it’s putting free student metrocards, as well as some bus, subway and paratransit service on the the chopping block. Anything, anything, to avoid raising the fare in 2010. more ›

Last month the MTA announced plans to cut service to the handicapped and elderly by $40 million this year, and yesterday officials explained in part how they'll do it. They say they'll reduce eligibility and service for the disabled and the elderly and crack down on those riders who are abusing the system (and not just by getting rides to casinos). For one, the agency wants to enforce regulations for a certain class of handicapped and elderly riders that is supposed to get rides only in extremely cold or hot weather, but under the current system, gets them when it pleases. more ›

In an article that shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, the Daily News reports that disabled people — just like their non-disabled counterparts — love to gamble at casinos, and they use public transportation to get there. According to the tabloid, Access-A-Ride vans and cars don't just shuttle disabled people to doctors' offices, pharmacies, and supermarkets, they also bring handicapped New Yorkers to the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway. more ›

No part of the MTA's planned service cuts has proven to be more controversial than the agency's proposal to get rid of free Metrocards for students. more ›

Not a good couple of weeks for Access-A-Ride, the bike-lane blocking fleet of giant vans that shuttle infirm New Yorkers around town. A local news crew caught one driver sleeping on the job last week, but now maybe the fatigue makes sense: the Access-A-Ride headquarters in Long Island City has been infested with bed bugs since the summer of 2008! The situation's become so intolerable that workers picketed outside yesterday, and one employee, who brought the bugs home and had to throw out all her furniture, tells the Daily News, "They really need to clean this place. This is not a joke." more ›

Fox 5 is really sticking it to the taxpayer-funded Access-A-Ride system, exposing one NYPD Auxiliary Police sergeant's apparent abuse of the system, and busting a driver for flagrant on-the-job napping. The Access-A-Ride program, which is managed by NYC Transit, provides transportation for people with disabilities who can't take the subway or bus. Each trip ends up costing about $66 (most of which is covered by taxpayers) and this year the whole program is expected to cost $451 million—which makes this footage of a cop getting picked up by Access-A-Ride to go march in a parade even more galling! more ›

If you spend enough time riding a bike around New York, you learn to steer clear of those insane Access-A-Ride drivers, who are employed by NYC Transit to provide transportation for people with disabilities who can't take the subway or bus. In our experience, Access-A-Ride drivers are maniacs, and in recent years, the drivers have been in some high-profile accidents, including a fatality and a hit-and-run. more ›

The State Island Advance has a heartbreaking yet inspirational story about a young man really looking forward to the new school year at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus. Except Tim Price was run over by an Access-a-Ride minibus and "dragged 40 feet" earlier this year ("His right leg had been shattered, both clavicles broken, and his face and back severely burned") and now walks with a limp and uses a cane. His mom can't take him from S.I. to Fordham--she has two jobs--and hasn't found an affordable car service (boarding at Fordham is too expensive, too), so Price might have to...turn to Access-A-Ride for transportation. However, the honors student says, "I don't know if I could psychologically handle that." He is also suing NYC Transit, the Access-a-Ride vehicle's owner, and the driver for damages. An unofficial poll of NYers indicates they think Access-a-Ride drivers are some of the worst. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, an Access-A-Ride car crashed into a tree and light pole in Queens, killing an 80-year-old passenger and injuring the driver and two passengers. The car was on the Juniper Boulevard North near 62nd Avenue; the driver apparently swerved to avoid an oncoming car. One witness told WABC 7 the accident was "pretty bad," noting, "The whole top [of the car] is gone." The Access-A-Ride driver had a valid license and passed a Breathalyzer... more ›