TRANSPORTATION
This page has information on accessible transportation and laws governing access to transportation for people with disabilities, including:
News
The 'First Mobility Vehicle' Launches Nationwide Tour, By Richard Read,The Car Connection, June 28, 2010
Final Report for the United We Ride National Dialogue is now available, From Easter Seals Project ACTION, the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility, and the National Academy of Public Administration, February 09, 2010
More accessible cabs hit cities, By Greg Latshaw, USA TODAY, December 20, 2009
Promising Practices and Solutions in Accessible Transportation: Service Animals and Public Transportation, From Easter Seals Project Action, November 2009
United We Ride National Dialogue Wants Your Ideas on Accessible Transportation, From the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM), October 2009
Transportation for America Needs Your Stories for Congress, By Donna McNamee from AAPD's Justice For All Blog, September 02, 2009
Advocacy Organizations and Informational Resources
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), is the leading trade organization for the public transportation industry. APTA serves and leads its diverse membership through advocacy, innovation and information sharing.
At the Community Transportation Association of America our vision of America's public and community transportation future — the cause that we serve — is based upon fundamental values that are as old as the nation itself. Freedom, independence, dignity and choice are as much at the heart of the debate for building an accessible society as they have been in building a free society. There is never an end to the work to create a free society, and there will never be an end to our work to build a more mobile society. Both of these noble pursuits remain great works in progress.
Disability.gov is the federal government's one-stop Web site for information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and many others. This section of Disability.gov offers a wide range of information on accessible transportation systems, community transportation initiatives and federal laws and regulations to improve access and availability of bus, rail and air travel.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is one of 10 modal administrations within the U.S. Department of Transportation. FTA administers federal funding to support a variety of locally planned, constructed, and operated public transportation systems throughout the U.S., including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, monorail, passenger ferry boats, inclined railways, and people movers.
Project ACTION promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the ADA and beyond. We offer various resources, as well as training and technical assistance, in an effort to make the ADA work for everyone, everyday.
Transportation for America is a coalition of housing, business, environmental, public health, transportation, equitable development, and other organizations which seeks to align national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues like economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development.
Publications
Moving Forward Together: A Workbook for Initiating and Increasing Accessible Taxi Services is designed for use by community leaders representing the taxi industry, disability community, transit industry, and local government, and is intended to facilitate discussion and encourage input from multiple perspectives as communities move forward to improve and increase the availability of accessible taxis. The workbook includes nine sections on important issues related to accessible taxi services, including public policy, vehicle design and costs, and contracts and operating agreements. Each section includes a series of discussion points that can be considered by a community and relevant examples of current efforts from communities across the country that have already put much work into improving accessible taxi services, along with contact information so workbook users can learn more about their experiences. Download as a PDF file | text file
The New Horizons Booklet is a guide designed to offer travelers with disabilities a brief but authoritative source of information about the Air Carrier Access rules: the accommodations, facilities, and services that are now required to be available. It also describes features required by other regulations designed to make air travel more accessible.
Stranded at the Station: The Impact of the Financial Crisis in Public Transportation is an August 2009 report by Transportation For America which offers a systematic analysis of the conundrum faced by communities and their transit systems: Historic ridership and levels of demand for service, coupled with the worst funding crisis in decades. The report documents the devastation of transit cuts and fare increases on America’s communities.
The United We Ride National Dialogue Final Report, February 2010 (pdf / doc)-The Dialogue brought together key stakeholders using collaborative web-based technologies to discuss the following broad question: “What ideas can improve access to affordable and reliable transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited incomes?” The Dialogue participants highlighted important and challenging policy concerns for moving forward. The themes, ideas, and Panel recommendations in this report identify significant opportunities to break down the Federal barriers to local coordination of Federal transportation resources and streamline access to transportation services for people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with limited incomes.