Phoenix Transit Riders Face Accessibility Challenges

According to an article by Mia Milinovich in AZ Big Media, disability advocates in Phoenix are calling on the city’s public transit system to improve accessibility. Advocates point out that accessibility is not just about wheelchair ramps—people with a broad spectrum of disabilities experience transit in different ways. “This limited scope fails to consider the wide range of mental and physical disabilities that limit access to transportation.”

In some cases, “some transportation services actually inhibit citizens with disabilities.” For example, Arizona State University’s shuttle buses don’t verbally notify passengers about destinations, making it difficult for people with vision impairments to know where they are. “Additionally, the light rails have a fairly short window of entrance and exit before the doors close. I think this could be adjusted to be safer,” said Ava Lemke, a member of Arizona State University’s Accessibility Coalition. And while an on-demand paratransit service exists in Phoenix, it costs twice as much as a fixed-service bus ride.