Increasing Access: Strategies & Practice in Chicago

1. Increasing Access: Strategies & Practice in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel - Rosemary Krimbel, Commissioner City of Chicago – Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection

2. About Us The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) ensures Chicago's public vehicles are safe, reliable and provide Chicagoans and visitors with a positive experience.

3. BACP Public Vehicle Division • License nearly 10,000 public vehicles in Chicago • Monitor activity of 6,800 licensed taxi cabs • Test and license 16,000 public chauffeurs • Oversee the issuance and transfer of 6,800 Taxicab Medallions • Conduct 19,500 public vehicles inspections annually • Track roughly 12,000 public vehicle consumer complaints yearly

4. Overview • Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) in Chicago’s taxicab fleet • New Centralized Dispatch service • WAV Cost Reimbursement Program / New Freedom Grant

5. Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles • If Licensee owns 20 or more taxicab medallion licenses, then 5% must be WAV’s - One WAV for every 20 Medallion Licenses • Chicago market: Incredibly diverse - over one-half of medallion owners (more than 3,000) own only 1-2 medallions • All WAV’s must register with centralized dispatch system Taxicab wheelchair accessible driver award: • Only WAV public chauffeurs are eligible to compete • One medallion given away per year

6. Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in Chicago Taxi Fleet, 2009 to Present (MV-1 stopped production at end of 2012)

7. Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (continued)

8. New Centralized Dispatch Service

9. New Centralized Dispatch ServiceOpen Taxis • In August, first month of operation: • Over 1800 pick-ups; only 3 no-shows • August no-show rate – 0.2% • Previous no-show rate 6.5% • Open Taxis gave away almost $2,500 in gift cards and incentives to drivers • Going forward, passengers will be able to hail using mobile applications on tablets and smartphones • 100 major city healthcare centers (Rehab Institute of Chicago, major hospitals, etc.) will receive iPads to hail closest WAV vehicle

10. WAV Cost Reimbursement Program • Funded by portion of license fee revenue • WAV Cost Reimbursement Program reimburses owners up to $20,000 for purchase of new, factory manufactured wheelchair accessible vehicle OR • Up to $15,000 for actual cost of the conversion cost for making a vehicle wheelchair accessible

11. New Freedom Grant, WAV Fund • New Freedom Grant: Part of SAFETEA-LU, FTA’s surface transportation legislation (2005) • Federal grants come with many complex regulations • Buy American mandate • Procurement regulations require competitive bidding • Local match required • Chicago’s grant application made case that WAV Cost Reimbursement Program was an eligible use of New Freedom funds

12. New Freedom Grant, WAV Fund • New Freedom Grant Awarded the City: $1,771,689 • Local match from WAV fund: $442,923 • Status of New Freedom Grant: In process of implementing

13. BACP’s Public Vehicle Operations Online www.cityofchicago.org/bacp • Alerts • Department & Industry Information bacppv@cityofchicago.org • Industry Notices

14. Jeff LewellingFirst Deputy CommissionerBACP City of ChicagoJeffrey.Lewelling@cityofchicago.org • Rupal BapatDeputy Commissioner of Public Vehicle OperationsBACP City of ChicagoRupal.Bapat@cityofchicago.org