Safety
Yield to Bus Legislation
In an effort to enhance public safety and alleviate congestion, a number of states have passed laws requiring the driver of a non-transit vehicle to yield the right of way to a transit vehicle traveling in the same direction that has signaled and is reentering the traffic flow.
Bus priority laws reduce delays for buses at all stops, allowing for greater adherence to schedules and increased reliability of service. Such laws also reduce missed connections and improve service quality. Moreover, bus priority decreases stress on transit operators, which enhances safety.
ATU Supports:
Legislation requiring non-transit vehicles to yield to buses as they pull out of bus stops and back into traffic.
Protecting the Safety of Paratransit Riders
Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), transit agencies are required to provide individuals with disabilities the same quality of service that is provided to non-disabled passengers. Unfortunately, paratransit (also known as demand response service) nationwide has been overrun with problems that seriously impact the quality of life of millions of Americans.
On-time performance is a major problem, caused by poor planning and unrealistic schedules. In addition, recent reports indicate that serious accidents are rapidly increasing4 and vans for the disabled are failing more safety inspections than ever before. In fact, a remarkably high number of paratransit vans have been ordered off the roads because of dangerous safety problems.
In addition, in most states, public transit driver safety standards, including driver training and inspection of vehicles, do not apply to paratransit operations.
The intent of the ADA was not to cause transit agencies to contract-out paratransit services to private companies which cut corners in an effort to increase profits. Unfortunately, this is the state of paratransit operations in America today. Our most vulnerable elderly and disabled citizens are being put at risk every day!
ATU SUPPORTS:
1) Legislation requiring public transit operators to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into consideration before they contract-out paratransit services, requiring a cost analysis of the work to be done, which shall be used to assess whether it is more effective to use employees of a private business entity or to use existing employees; and
2) Requiring potential bidders to have a demonstrated ability of providing high quality paratran- sit services, which equal or exceed the quality of services which could be provided by the states’ public transit agencies; and
3) Extending public transit driver safety standards to the paratransit industry.
