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TCRP B-01 [Completed]
Transit Operations for Individuals with Disabilities
| Project Data |
| Funds: |
$199,992 |
| Research Agency: |
EG&G Dynatrend, Inc. |
| Principal Investigator: |
Russell Thatcher |
| Effective Date: |
6/1/1993 |
| Completion Date: |
3/31/1995 |
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This study provides alternative operating models and possible enhancements to traditional public transit services that can be employed to encourage individuals with disabilities to use fixed-route services when appropriate. The findings will be of interest to transit managers and planners in urban rural areas engaged in providing accessible services to individuals with disabilities.
In response to national laws and policies promoting nondiscrimination on the basis of disability and greater independence for individuals with disabilities, transit agencies in North America have developed many innovative approaches to better serve customers with disabilities. Providing such transportation services, cost-effectively, to individuals with disabilities may require the integration of several services into one comprehensive transportation system. Under TCRP Project B-1, research was undertaken by a team headed by EG&G Dynatrend to develop a methodology to design and evaluate integrated transit systems that (1) provide accessible integrated service complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), (2) facilitate the appropriate use of the ADA paratransit service, and (3) support service or system enhancements to encourage travel on accessible fixed-routes by individuals with disabilities. Phase I of the study identified and defined possible options and enhancements, determined the applicability of each option to various situations and areas, and noted key implementation issues. A survey identified 624 agencies that have implemented various service options and enhancements to better serve customers with disabilities. Many of these agencies have improved services to persons with disabilities by strengthening basic elements of their operation, such as vehicle and station design, equipment maintenance, driver training, and accessible information and communications. Beyond these basic and often required service improvements, 20 innovative service options and enhancements were identified.
TCRP Report 9: Transit Operations for Individuals with Disabilities, will assist transit managers and planners in designing and evaluating integrated services that can be employed to encourage individuals with disabilities to use fixed-route services. A companion document prepared under this project--TCRP Web Document 2: Evaluating Transit Operations for Individuals with Disabilities--provides evaluation methodologies for analyzing six successful service options identified and described in this report. It also examines, in detail, the implementation of these innovations by five selected transit systems. The options evaluated in the companion document are service routes, feeder service, route deviation, low-floor buses, and fare incentives.
This project also produced TCRP Research Results Digest 1.
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