TRansit ACessibility Tool (TRACT): Developing a novel scoring system for public transportation system accessibility.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Transportation Accessibility
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Federal laws mandate equal public transportation access for people with disabilities.
• Persistent accessibility barriers limit effective use of public transit systems.
• Lack of accessible information online restricts transportation planning for disabled individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the accessibility information provided by public transportation systems.
• To share findings on an open data platform to improve transit accessibility.
• To identify variations in how transit systems present accessibility data online.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed 26 top US public transportation systems based on federal funding.
• Abstracted accessibility information from system websites using two independent reviewers.
• Scored systems on six universal design dimensions: facility, vehicle, policies, rider accommodations, paratransit, and website accessibility.

Main Results:

• The average overall accessibility information score was 31.9 out of 62.
• Significant variations were found across the six accessibility dimensions.
• While paratransit and website accessibility scores were high for some systems, other areas showed considerable deficits.

Conclusions:

• A novel scoring system highlighted significant disparities in online accessibility information.
• Public transportation websites are critical for users to obtain objective accessibility data.
• The absence of comprehensive accessibility information creates barriers and limits equal access for the disability community.