Access to Over The Road Buses for Passengers With Disabilities
By Rutenberg, Uwe; Hunter-Zaworski, Kate; TRANSED 2007 - 11th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons,Publication Date:
Study by the National Center for Accessible Transportation (NCAT) investigating access solutions for mobility-impaired passengers and addressing information and communication requirements for sensory-impaired travelers on over-the-road buses (ORTBs). ORTBs are vehicles characterized by an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment. Vehicle-based as well as station-based access solutions for the mobility-impaired, such as lifts, boarding chairs, ramps and accessible restrooms are outlined. Information and communication issues for sensory-impaired passengers are discussed, among them way finding and schedule reading for the visually impaired, listening to announcements via the PA system for persons with hearing problems, and communicating with ticket agents and bus drivers for the cognitive-impaired. Solutions mentioned are raised and braille seat numbers and signs on restroom doors, infrared technology for identification of bus routes and numbers, captioning on monitors or LED/LCD display to inform passengers with hearing problems of upcoming stops, connections etc., and onboard messages from the driver transmitted to passengers’ PDAs.
Published by: Transport Canada (Website:http://www.tc.gc.ca)
Link to text: http://ncat.oregonstate.edu/pubs/TRANSED/1158_Access_to_Buses.pdf
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number O16937
