Authors

Arya Roi, Mingda Wang, Sherri Son

Research Question

Where is accessible-transportation demand concentrated across New York City, and where does wheelchair-accessible supply fall short? Using government Access-A-Ride (AAR) and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) trip data, the project produces a ranked set of priority locations for electric vehicle staging and charging, and identifies the most underserved neighborhoods.

Background

Dollaride is a New York City transportation company operating wheelchair-accessible electric vans for paratransit, serving people with disabilities and low-income residents underserved by public transit. Only about 7,500 of the city's roughly 106,000 for-hire vehicles are wheelchair accessible. Demand is concentrated among riders with the least flexibility, such as dialysis patients on fixed schedules, seniors and people with disabilities traveling to medical care, so missed or delayed trips translate directly into missed treatments.

NYC's paratransit market is shifting toward lower-cost brokered trips, opening room for new providers. But no one has rigorously defined, from actual trip data, where accessible service is most needed or most absent.

Methodology

The project involves two linked workstreams:

• Demand-to-siting model: Mapping where AAR and NEMT demand concentrates by location, time of day and recurring trip type, then overlaying that demand on candidate parcels (NYC MapPLUTO parking lots, NYCHA sites) to recommend sites for staging electric vehicles and installing Level 3 charging.
• Accessibility gap analysis: Combining trip data with census disability and senior indicators and healthcare-facility locations to quantify the mismatch between wheelchair-accessible vehicle demand and supply, identify the most underserved neighborhoods, and flag zones that are both commercially viable and high equity impact.

Deliverables

• Interactive Demand-and-Equity Map: A map showing accessible-transportation demand, supply gaps and underserved neighborhoods.
• Ranked Site Shortlist: Recommended vehicle-staging and charging sites, each with a quantitative rationale.
• Strategy Input: Evidence to inform Dollaride's fleet placement, charging investment and paratransit-licensing strategy.

Data Sources

• FOIL-obtained Access-A-Ride and NEMT trip records
• NYC MapPLUTO (parking lots) and NYCHA site data
• Census disability and senior indicators
• Healthcare-facility locations