Guide to accessible bus service
Thomas Cagle (nh-adapt@juno.com)
Thu, 25 Nov 1999 07:25:17 -0500
As a truely fine thanksgiving gift. The final regs, after Greyhoud has
lost ALL apeals. At long last "WE WILL RIDE"!!!
Tom C
From: "Stephanie Thomas" <adapt@adapt.org>
Thought y'all might enjoy this for thanksgiving! Stephanie
>From the web page
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/greyfact.htm
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section
Guide for Passengers: Accessible Bus Service
Under the Greyhound Agreement
Greyhound promised to improve its accessible bus
service as part of a settlement agreement with the
Department of Justice. The agreement resolves a series
of complaints filed under the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
This guide explains how you can get accessible bus
service under the agreement between now and October 1,
2001. As of that date new Department of Transportation
regulations will require Greyhound to provide
accessible, lift-equipped service on demand with 48
hours' notice.
Greyhound is starting to put more accessible buses on
the roads and to train Greyhound's bus drivers and
other workers to provide accessible bus service (for
example, through the operation of lifts, other
boarding devices, and disability awareness). Until all
the buses are in service and all the drivers are
trained, Greyhound will not be able to meet all
requests for accessible bus service. By April 1, 2000,
however, Greyhound will guarantee lift-equipped bus
service to and from all of its destinations, except in
a very limited set of circumstances.
For accessible bus services, please call the Greyhound
ADA Hotline: 1-800-752-4841 or 1-800-345-3109 (TDD).
Call at least 48 hours (two days) before you want to
travel. Greyhound may need to call you back to make
final arrangements.
What to Expect Before April 1, 2000
If you call Greyhound's Hotline at least 48 hours in
advance of your travel --
1. You may be able to travel on a
lift-equipped bus with trained personnel, if;
- You are traveling along a route
where lift-equipped buses are
regularly scheduled. If so, then
Greyhound must provide a
lift-equipped bus, except in
"excusable circumstances," as
explained below.
- You are traveling along a route
where lift-equipped buses are not
regularly scheduled, but Greyhound
is still able to provide a
lift-equipped bus with reasonable
effort. At first, Greyhound will
not be able to meet all of these
requests, but lift-equipped bus
service will improve as April 1,
2000, approaches.
(You can get off the bus and get
back on at each designated rest
stop and meal stop if you wish.)
2. You may be able to travel with the
assistance of station-based lifts or
boarding devices if your travel plans
include locations where these devices are
available or can be deployed within 48
hours. If so, then Greyhound will provide
such assistance, except in excusable
circumstances.
3. You may have to be carried onto and off
of a bus, if Greyhound is unable to provide
a lift- equipped bus, station-based lift, or
boarding device.
"Excusable circumstances" include,
for example:
- A bus or lift suddenly breaks
down,
- There is an unforeseen lack of
trained personnel,
- There is an unusually high
demand for services, or
- It would be very costly to
provide service in a particular
situation.
In these situations, Greyhound
will not have to provide
accessible service.
What to Expect Between April 1, 2000 and October 1,
2001
Greyhound will be operating "Access Greyhound." With
at least 48 hours' notice Greyhound will guarantee
lift-equipped bus service from and to all of its
locations, except in "excusable circumstances" (as
explained above). Even in those excusable
circumstances, Greyhound must still provide other
boarding assistance. Also, as of October 2000, the new
Department of Transportation regulations will require
companies like Greyhound to ensure that all new buses
that they purchase or lease will be lift-equipped.
Ultimately, but not later than October 28, 2012, all
over-the-road buses operated by companies like
Greyhound will be lift- equipped.
What to Expect After October 1, 2001
New Department of Transportation regulations require
that as of October 1, 2001, companies like Greyhound
must provide lift-equipped bus service on 48 hours'
notice at every location that they serve. Ultimately,
after all buses become lift-equipped, passengers will
no longer have to provide 48 hours' notice to travel
with Greyhound.
In All Situations
If you don't give 48 hours' notice, Greyhound still
has to make a reasonable effort to provide an
accessible bus, assistive devices, or other boarding
assistance. This means that Greyhound can carry a
passenger as a last resort.
Complaints
You can file complaints about Greyhound's bus service
with Greyhound, and Greyhound will investigate. You
should file within 60 days of the incident.
You can also file a complaint with the Department of
Justice.
If you file a complaint with either Greyhound or the
Justice Department, please try to provide as much
information as possible, including the bus number;
driver's name; date, time, and location of the
incident; and the name of other Greyhound personnel or
other witnesses. The addresses for filing your
complaint with either Greyhound or the Justice
Department are:
Greyhound ADA Corporate Office
P.O. Box 660362
Dallas, Texas 75266-0362
U.S. Department of Justice
Disability Rights Section
Civil Rights Division
P.O. Box 66738
Washington, DC 20035-6738
If you file a complaint with either Greyhound or the
Justice Department, you won't waive your legal rights
unless you accept compensation for the incident.
To get information about the ADA and your rights, call
the Department of Justice's ADA Information Line,
800-514-0301 (voice), or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or visit
our website,
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/greyfact.htm. You may
also obtain a copy of the settlement agreement from
the website.
This document is available in the following alternate
formats for persons with disabilities --
- Braille
- Large Print
- Audiocassette; and
- Electronic file on computer disk.
Note: Reproduction of this document is encouraged
November 1999
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