Robert McBride of All Island Taxi, a Mineola-based taxi service, said his dream is to provide taxi service to residents of Long Island who are handicapped at the same price as anyone else who requests a cab. McBride took a major step closer to his dream when All Island Taxi purchased six wheelchair accessible taxis.

McBride said All Island Taxi is very happy and very proud to be the first cab company in New York state to offer wheelchair accessible taxicabs to Nassau County residents who are physically challenged. "All of these physically challenged people had no way to get around," said McBride.

It has been customary for those who don't have a car to just call a cab service and have a taxi pick commuters up and drive them to church or the movies or wherever they desire to go. For those who are physically challenged, transportation hasn't been that easy. "They don't have those options," McBride said.

All Island Taxi is trying to change that trend and implement into their fleet taxicabs that can comfortably fit wheelchairs in them. According to McBride, not only will All Island offer this service to those who are physically challenged; the company will offer the service at the same cost as a ride in the conventional taxis.

"We have many different offices in Nassau County and whenever I visited offices and spent time there, we would get calls from people who wanted wheelchair accessible [vehicles] and be able to go out to a movie or go to the local mall. We'd have to say, 'sorry, we don't offer that service,'" McBride said.

All Island will not have to say sorry anymore. After speaking at a disability center in Albertson, McBride learned there was a need for vehicles available for the physically challenged. Some people who are physically challenged told him that they pay as much as $60 one way just to go to a movie theater on a Friday night in an ambulette. McBride said he wanted to create a situation where those who are physically challenged could experience the same service at the same price as conventional cabs.

"It's my dream to make wheelchair accessible taxicabs a reality on Long Island. I'm hoping that other companies in my industry take our example and do the same thing in their fleets to expand this," McBride said.

Those who need a handicapped accessible taxicab for transportation should call All Island Taxi at 486-6666. "I will continue to add equipment as long as there is a need," said McBride.