Public Transportation for Everyone in Ontario
December 21, 2018 Greg Thomson
Under the Transportation Standard of the AODA, companies that provide public transportation have to create and implement policies and plans to make their services accessible to passengers with disabilities. Since this law has been enacted, public transit has taken steps to make it easier for everyone to use their services.
Public transportation includes:
- City buses
- Trains
- Streetcars
- Taxis
- Ferries
In this article, we outline some of the mandated accessibility features for Ontario public transit. For instance, accessible features includes:
- Stops, shelters, stations, and platforms
- Vehicles
- Audio and visual announcements
- Transit information
Public Transportation
Accessible Stops, Shelters, Stations, and Platforms
AODA requires that all new and renovated:
- Bus stops
- Bus shelters
- Train platforms
- Train stations
are level or ramped for use by people with mobility devices.
Shelters, platforms, and stations should be wide enough so that people using mobility devices can turn around.
Also, transit users should find that signs have good colour contrast and have large print. Signs should be found in or at:
- Shelters
- Stations
- Stops
- Platforms
Accessible Vehicles
Buses should either have level entrances, ramps, or lifts. Emergency response and stop request buttons should be at a height that people using mobility devices can easily reach. There should also be seats near the front of the bus for riders using assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or [...]