The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signified a new era of mobility for elderly and disabled passengers. The ADA has many serious implications for transit and non-transit agencies related to employment, architectural barriers, and vehicle accessibility. This paper addresses key components to the ADA accessibility issue as well as how United States transit agencies are responding to the new law. This paper also reviews the "service route" concept as it is being implemented in the United States and the unique planning considerations necessary to design successful routes, the public participation process, the development and refinement of alternatives, and the selection of routing details. The discussion includes details on operating guidelines, the integration with Madison Metro Service including metro+plus, demand estimation, the development of costs and revenues, and the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation plan. This concept, when applied to small cities or areas within large urban areas, has the potential to satisfy ADA requirements with lower operating costs.
Abstract