Travelling by wheelchair in NYC - easy, moderate or difficult?

My father uses a wheelchair. The buses are all equiped with lifts or rolldown ramps and they each can hold two wheelchairs (designated seats fold up to accomodate the chairs and passengers must give up these seats if they are needed). The wheelchair passenger boards ahead of the other passengers. If the bus has a lift, one person stands behind the chair and goes up with the lift; the driver straps the chair in and asks where you will be getting off.

To get from Penn Station to Radio City, take the M5 or M6 bus; they ride up Sixth Avenue and you get off at Radio City.

A lot of cabs simply don't stop for a wheelchair. It takes extra time to get the passenger into the cab, out of the cab, fold up the chair, put it away, take it out of the trunk and unfold it. They don't get paid extra for this service and some of them are very impatient spending this time that they could be driving and earning money.

I suggest that you take buses, they are the easiest way to get around.

Since your brother can stand on his own as his wheelchair is put together and taken apart, I would definitely take a car service to and from Radio City. The buses all have wheelchair lifts, but if the weather is bad, you do not want to wait during the rain/snow for a bus. In regards to Rock Center, it is a block away, so it is not to far a walk. I suggest a car service instead of a cab off the street because they come to you, instead of you trying to find a cab to stop for you. Hope this helps.

Well if u want to use wheel chair the slip off , broke ur leg. I have some oher::::::; I went to Sydney Australia and had a FANTASTIC time. The city is clean and the people are friendly and we got into lots of things for free or my friend went in free as my attendant. Also there's this GREAT accessible cottage in the Hunter Valley Wine country that was built accessible. You can also get CHEAP seats at the Sydney Opera House. I think ours were 50% offTraveling should be easier now days no matter where you go. Every place should be wheelchair friendly these days. Ya it gives you a chance to get out and some places have speacal places were people who have disadvanteges and disabilities to see every thing with out the risk even not in the USA Travelling to london would be difficult i assume because to get around you'd need to take busses and london underground and these methods of transport don't really cater to wheelchair users

Can he get out of the chair at all? Getting private cabs that are accessible for wheelchairs can be very tough unless he can get out and into the suv cabs and the chair folds up.

However, all NYC buses have wheelchair lifts and is the best mode of transportation for you. They have lifts that you roll onto and they lift you up into the bus and you strap into the wheelchair "parking spot". Only a handful of subway stops are handicap accessible so stick with the buses.

Rolling through the city isn't that big of a problem as long as it it isn't raining or snowing as then the street corners turn into giant puddles, but overall people usually get out of the way of your party.

my brother (23 years old) is in a wheelchair. he has no problem getting around. everything is ADA approved. buses are great. not all subway stops are accessible so be careful. to ride the bus is $2/person. people with disabilities are cheaper, but most of the time my brother isn't charged to ride the bus. great for theater also, can get cheap wheelchair with companion seats.

to add on to gormen's statement...

you can walk from Radio City to Rockefeller Center. It's only a block and a half going west. The M7 is also on Sixth Avenue