NYC express buses are designed to make commuting to and from Manhattan convenient, but according to a report from the city comptroller’s office released on Tuesday, the ride is anything but easy for New Yorkers with disabilities.
City Comptroller Brad Lander’s report, released on March 18, found that many express buses routinely leave riders with disabilities without “reliable, safe, respectful or on-time service,” despite being designed to fill a gap for neighborhoods in the city that lack sufficient public transportation.
The report was based on a survey of express bus riders and field observations by teams that included auditors from the Comptroller’s Audit Bureau and New Yorkers with disabilities.
“All New Yorkers deserve accessible, equitable and timely service,” Lander said. “MTA express bus service is often the only public transit option for outer borough communities, yet our report found it is not a viable option for many wheelchair users. The MTA must provide drivers with adequate training, equipment, oversight, and proper staffing to deliver reliable and equitable service to all.”
Unlike local and Select Bus Services vehicles with accessible front-door ramps, high-floor express buses require external wheelchair lifts to provide full accessibility. In addition, riders from the survey reported frequent driver difficulties in operating the lifts. Some even reported “hostile behavior” from drivers and passengers during boarding.
Long waits, boarding issues
On-time and reliable service did not fare much better.
According to the report, more than a third of all survey respondents (34.5%) reported that buses fail to operate according to schedule during weekday rush hour. Similarly, 28.4% of respondents stated that buses do not adhere to the schedule outside of rush hour. Some riders reported waiting more than an hour for a bus.
In addition to the survey, the comptroller’s office, along with community groups across the city, conducted field visits to observe 25 express buses in action, including in Staten Island — a borough heavily reliant upon express buses.
The site visits revealed that nearly one in four wheelchair users could not board express buses due to wheelchair lift issues or, even worse, drivers did not stop for wheelchair users waiting at designated stops.
The research also found that Staten Island wheelchair users were disparately impacted by poor express bus service. Citywide, wheelchair users were unable to board nearly 25% of all observed express buses, whereas 50% of the Staten Island riders who use wheelchairs were unable to board.
Lander recommended a list of actions for the MTA to take to address the express bus issues. These include conducting refresher training on wheelchair lift operations, ensuring drivers receive annual training in operating wheelchair lifts, and piloting additional low-floor entry buses or other accessible bus designs, among other efforts to improve on-time service.
Disability advocates said improving design is a “critical step” in making an express bus more accessible.
“It’s not an express bus if you can’t get on it in the first place, and that’s what is happening to wheelchair users in Brooklyn and around the city,” Joe Rappaport, executive director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, said. “Comptroller Lander’s report calls out the MTA’s dereliction and offers suggestions for immediate action, including better driver training and lift maintenance, which the MTA must do right away.”
Jean Ryan, president of Disabled In Action Metropolitan NY, does not feel that the express buses are accessible. She said people with mobility disabilities are never certain if the driver can use the bus lift or move the seats to make space.
“Besides not knowing if we can get on the bus, we do not know if the firefighters will have to take us off,” she said. “That is not accessibility. No one else has to deal with uncertainty and worry about getting on the bus except for people with disabilities. We need a truly accessible bus design with a ramp in front for everyone.”
Meanwhile, Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer, said the agency prioritizes accessibility within the sprawling transit system.
“As the first transit agency in the country to convert its entire bus fleet – the largest in America – to be ADA compliant, the MTA has always prioritized accessibility and equitable transit, and that includes added training for bus operators who operate wheelchair ramps, increased testing, and pilot programs that test low entry wheelchair boarding,” he said.
One of the agency’s most recent accessibility projects was the launch of the Convo Access pilot to support riders who are deaf or hard of hearing with an instant and on-demand American Sign Language interpreter while using public transportation.
