Design requirements for various types of transportation vehicles have been established by the Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles (Vehicle Guidelines). These guidelines are used to provide rules for buses, vans, rail vehicles and various other types of public transportation. Requirement standards are developed according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and they are enforced by the Department of Transportation.
All buses and vans (whether new or used) that are used as public transportation vehicles are required to have accessibility regulations according to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Buses and vans must have a lift or a ramp that must be used to provide wheelchair access or mobility aid for impaired individuals that must use public transportation. Accessibility regulations also require that public transportation vehicles have a secured area for stabilizing immobile passengers while they travel. Other regulatory requirements are designed for hand rails, mobility aids, seat belts and other restraint devices.
Rapid rail vehicles -- both new and used -- must meet accessibility requirements that are required by the ADA. Rapid rail vehicles must follow the "one-car-per-train rule" of Title 49 that is designed for the transportation of handicapped individuals. Rapid rail vehicles that have been designed for the transportation of disabled individuals are given an opportunity for compliance by the rules set forth in Title 49, Section 37.81(c). Rapid rail vehicles should also have at least one door that is designed to accommodate curved platforms to meet the horizontal gap requirement that is present in some rail station docking areas. Doorways, signage and audible signals are other areas of rapid rail where regulations have been established to remove barriers for the transportation of disabled passengers.
Light and commuter rail trains, over-the-road-buses, automated guideway transit vehicles and trams are some of the other types of public transportation vehicles that are affected by the Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles. The ADA requires new and used public vehicles purchased or leased after August 25, 1990, to be accessible to disabled passengers. General requirements for these types of vehicles include guidelines for seat belts and having emergency backup power for lifts and ramps in the event of a power failure.
