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Accessible Rail Stations and Buses

Transit rail stations that are compliant with requirements under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) (box 6-C) increased 178 percent from just 553 stations (out of 2,452) in 1993 to 1,537 stations (out of 2,799) in 2003 (figure 6-6). Yet, the rate at which compliance increased at commuter-rail, light-rail, and heavy-rail stations differed (figure 6-7).

The percentage of light-rail stations that are ADA accessible rose the fastest among the transit rail modes, from 24 percent compliant (92 stations) in 1993 to 76 percent (466 stations) in 2003 (figure 6-7). During the same time period, commuter-rail station accessibility grew from 23 percent (242 stations) to 56 percent (643 stations). Heavy-rail riders also experienced an increase in ADA-compliant stations, from 22 percent (217 stations) in 1993 to 41 percent (416 stations) in 2003.

Transit buses are also subject to ADA requirements. As of 2003, 95 percent of all transit buses were equipped with lifts or ramps to make them accessible to disabled riders.¹

Source

1. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database 2003, available at http://www.ntdprogram.com/, as of April 2005.

¹ For more information on accessible buses, see Transportation Statistics Annual Report, September 2004.