MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- The nation's 300 intercity bus companies
will be required to provide accessibility for travelers with
disabilities under regulations that are set to take effect this
year, a Department of Transportation official said here.
Ira Laster Jr., senior program coordinator for the Office of
Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, addressed delegates
at the second annual World Congress for Travelers with
Disabilities. The event was sponsored by SATH (Society for the
Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped) and was cosponsored by
ASTA and a dozen other travel organizations.
Laster said the potential for travel for the 50 million
Americans with disabilities has increased rapidly over the past two
decades, but much more remains to be done. "Improving
transportation for persons with disabilities continues to occupy a
relatively high position on the DOT's agenda," he added.
The DOT plans to issue a notice of proposal containing
accessibility requirements for intercity buses by March 15, Laster
said, and the final rules are expected to take effect by Sept. 15.
Laster said that DOT Secretary Rodney Slater has made no decision
on whether intercity buses would have to be retrofit to meet new
accessibility standards or whether the standards would apply
exclusively to new equipment.
Laster noted that currently there are no federal requirements
for intercity buses to provide ramps or lifts for persons in
wheelchairs, while those facilities are common on city transit
buses and commuter buses. One reason why accessibility had been
introduced first on transit buses, the official said, is because
they typically are owned by public entities, while intercity buses
usually are operated by private companies.
Meanwhile, Laster noted that rapid advances in accessibility are
being made in other sectors of public transportation, as well. For
example, Amtrak cars are being equipped with such features as
accessible toilets and provisions to allow passengers to transfer
from their wheelchairs onto a seat.
Most airports as well as all airline-operated terminals being
built or altered must be made accessible, Laster said. New aircraft
delivered after April 5, 1992, depending on size, must have movable
armrests, space for at least one passenger's folding wheelchair in
the cabin and accessible lavatories on twin-aisle aircraft, Laster
noted. Additionally, all carriers, upon request, must provide
assistance to disabled passengers when boarding, debarking and
connecting with other flights, he said.