SECURING WHEELCHAIRS: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, FUTURE CHALLENGES

There is a growing need to accommodate travel by passengers with disabilities on fixed route transit, including reduction of the barriers faced by many individuals in effectively using bus service instead of paratransit. Commercially available on-vehicle wheelchair securement has evolved in recent years, with several new designs making securement safer and easier to use than early generations of systems that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the evolution of wheelchair designs is at odds with some of those improvements, with many new power wheelchairs and scooters not providing adequate securement points. This article advocates for the transit industry to take a greater leadership role in guiding new research and implementing higher standards in this area, and details efforts by the Alameda/Contra Costa Transit Authority (California) to explore a variety of approaches to improve access by wheelchair users.