On 09 Dec 2003 05:54:39 -0800, Jym Dyer wrote:

NYC buses now accommodate wheelchairs. It takes about 5
minutes to load or unload one, and even on not-very-frequent
routes, this sometimes means that the following bus passes
the one doing an unloading operation.

=v= Bear in mind that the Americans with Disabilities Act gave
the nation 20 years to figure out good ways to accommodate folks
in wheelchairs. An *extremely* generous amount of time to phase
things in, while an entire generation had no access. Yet bus
companies, like most businesses, waited until the last minute to
slap together a half-assed solution.
_Jym_

P.S.: I've trimmed the uk.* newsgroups from followups, as the
ADA doesn't apply to the U.K.

... and I've added back uk.transport.london because the Disability
Discrimination Act _does_ apply to the UK.

The British solution has been to build buses with ramps that are
activated from the cab. The driver doesn't leave their secure
environment.

I would challenge MTA's claim that it operates, "This makes New York
City Transit's system the world's largest accessible fleet." [of
accessible buses]"

According to
http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk...lowfloor.shtml

there are some 5,600 fully accessible buses in service in London,
compared to a quoted figure on MTA's web page at

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/facts/ffbus.htm

of some 4,400 buses.

With roll-out of the fully accessible fleet in London, there is a
progressive withdrawal of the Mobility Bus network (a low frequency
scheduled paratransit service).


Rob.
(groups trimmed to London and those carried by my server...)

--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk