To follow up on my accessibility + travel adventures (yes, the Chicago blog is STILL a work in progress!) I wanted to share this article. It highlights Montgomery County’s intention to, by 2025, have 100% of their taxicab fleet accessible to those with mobility impairments.

With how much I travel and get around, and have been increasingly leaving my personal vehicle behind, the guarantee of having an accessible mode of transportation no matter where you are is a BIG DEAL.

Montgomery County is aiming to develop a plan to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible cabs that have lifts or ramps, with a goal of having 100 percent accessible taxicabs within 10 years.

One of the most ridiculously true passages, I think, in the entire article is the paragraph where it says, “Accessible taxis can provide backup transportation when Metro elevators are broken, or late at night when public transportation, including paratransit, is no longer running,” she said. “Accessible transportation ensures that each and every one of us, and those we care about, can remain active should we find ourselves living with a temporary or permanent disability.”

It’s also authorizing accessible vehicle licneses to driver-owned coopearatives to encourage them to do the same.

Finally, shout out to Roger Berliner, a council member who seems to be spearheading this bil!