Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY) v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) (S.D.N.Y.)

This case challenges the MTA’s failure to maintain the few elevators that exist in New York City’s subway stations. DRA has a second, related case challenging the MTA’s failure to install elevators in all stations.
On April 25, 2017, DRA filed a class action lawsuit against the New York City Transit Authority (“NYCTA”) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) for failing to ensure programmatic accessibility of the City’s subway system for people with mobility disabilities by not maintaining the already limited number of stations’ elevators. On average, there are approximately 25 elevator outages per day, with median outage lasting 4 hours and with many outages lasting for months at a time. Defendants further compound these issues by frequently failing to inform the public about outages, by not providing signage to describe alternate accommodations and/or accessible routes, and by not ensuring alternate transportation for people who cannot use the subway unless elevators are functional.
Because the number of accessible stations is already at the abysmally low 22 percent rate of the total number of stations, the frequent and lengthy outages at the few stations that do feature elevators effectively exclude people with mobility disabilities from accessing the City’s subway system. This exclusion has a profoundly dire impact on their ability to participate in the City’s economic, political, cultural and social life given the paramount importance of subways in residents’ lives.
DRA’s ultimate goal is to ensure that the Defendants meaningfully address this exclusion by instituting a comprehensive remedial scheme that will lead to regular operation of usable and sanitary elevators and to provision of adequate notice and alternative accommodations when outages do occur.

Press Releases
Media Coverage
- August 1, 2023: WNYW New York City
Subway Accessibility – Disability Advocates Have Praise and Criticism for MTA’s Recent Actions on Elevators - May 26, 2023: TGNCRIP
How The R211 Represents The MTA’s Relationship To Disabled People - May 2, 2023: NY Daily News
Opinion – For Accessibility, Try Using Modern Technology - April 3, 2023: NY Daily News
Opinion – Out of Order Is Not Good Enough, the MTA Must Do a Much Better Job in Keeping Elevators Working - March 29, 2023: ABC7 NY
New York City, State Grapple With MTA Budget Woes - March 29, 2023: amNY
MTA Chief ‘Fed up’ With Private Contractors Operating Poor-Performing Elevators - March 29, 2023: amNY
Fed up With the Inconvenience, Disability Advocates Demand Reliable Elevators at Subway Stations - March 29, 2023: NY Daily News
MTA Needs to Lift Subway Elevator Reliability Efforts, Say NYC Disabled Advocates - March 29, 2023: CBS NY
Advocates for Disabled Send Message to Gov. Hochul, MTA – Fix Broken Elevators at Subway Stations - March 27, 2023: The City
Busted Elevator Lawsuit Still Stuck as MTA Vows More Lifts and Ramps in Subways - December 12, 2022: Gothamist
MTA Pilot Hopes to Sniff Out Soiled Elevators in NYC Subways