On August 24th, the Access-a-Ride Reform Group (AARRG!) held a rally and press conference in front of the MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway to protest the continuation of shared rides during the pandemic.

The rally was attended by an energetic group of Access-a-Ride users, elected officials (including Manhattan president Gale Brewer), interested citizens, and press.

With rising cases of the delta variant, Access-a-Ride users are becoming increasingly concerned that close proximity to other passengers puts riders at risk — many of whom are already immunocompromised.

Eman Rimawi, Access-a-Ride campaign coordinator and organizer, emphasized the risk posed by shared rides for disabled customers.

“Our lives are on the line. I have Lupus, I have a compromised immune system. There are several people here today with a compromised immune system. I am not dying for the MTA or Access-A-Ride.”

Watch CBS New York’s segment on the rally:

Find full coverage of the rally through CBS, Spectrum News NY1, Yahoo! News, and Public News Service.

Watch the livestream of the rally here.

Read the letter to the MTA (penned by NYLPI’s Disability Justice Director Ruth Lowenkron) at bit.ly/StopSharedRides.