Metro

Big taxi summit gets a flat

Dozens of representatives of taxi companies, government officials and others yesterday aired their views at a “taxi summit” in Gov. Cuomo’s Manhattan office.

The goal was to bring everyone together for the first time to air their views on whether cabbies can pick up street hails outside Manhattan. Participants did not reach an immediate agreement on this matter.

Fernando Mateo, head of the Federation of New York State Taxi Drivers, said key issues remained — including the number of new medallions and permits to be allowed and whether every taxi and livery cab must be wheelchair accessible.

“We support handicap accessibility,“ Mateo insisted, “[but advocates] want all the vehicles to be handicapped accessible. It’s not realistic.”

He said that vehicles that pick up street hails should be wheelchair accessible but that those in prearranged pickups need not be.

Cuomo called the meeting, the first since Mayor Bloomberg proposed letting livery cabs make pickups, “an import step forward.”