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10/5/99, 10:11 pmcdt
Greyhound To Install Bus Lifts
© The Associated Press
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Greyhound Lines Inc. reached an agreement with the Justice Department today under which the bus company will begin phasing in lift-equipped buses for disabled passengers two years before it is required to have them.
The Justice Department said the out-of-court agreement also makes other improvements in service for disabled riders and resolves a number of complaints that Greyhound drivers and employees had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against the disabled.
Most of the complaints involved refusal to aid a disabled person in boarding a bus, injuries that occurred when disabled riders were carried on or off buses or other mistreatment, the department said.
``Carrying people with disabilities onto buses is often dangerous and humiliating,'' said Bill Lann Lee, acting assistant attorney general in charge of the civil rights division. ``This agreement is an important step towards eliminating carrying in intercity transportation.''
Lee added that the agreement is important for disabled people because ``intercity bus service is often the only affordable form of transportation for many people with disabilities.''
Department of Transportation rules require that Greyhound and all other bus operators provide lift-equipped bus service on 48 hours notice, beginning Oct. 28, 2001.
But Greyhound agreed to take two steps before that deadline:
Between now and March 31, 2000, Greyhound will begin providing lift- equipped buses or station-based boarding devices along its major routes and will try to make them available on its other routes if passengers call Greyhound's toll-free ADA Hotline, 1-800-752-4841, 48 hours before they travel. At first, the company does not expect to be able to fill all requests for equipment but will still provide assistance, by carrying if necessary, to get on and off at all stops, including for rest and meals.
Beginning April 1, 2000, Greyhound's ``Access Greyhound'' program will guarantee accessible buses between any of the 2,600 locations it serves if it has 48 hours notice - except when there are sudden breakdowns in the bus or the lift, an unforeseen lack of trained personnel, an unusually high demand or the service at a particular site would be very costly. The company will still provide assistance even if a lift-equipped bus cannot be found.
Beginning in October 2001, all newly purchased or leased buses will have lifts and Greyhound will provide lift-equipped buses between any locations on 48 hours' notice.
The company also agreed to train all its employees in assisting disabled riders, set up an internal dispute resolution procedure to handle complaints from disabled riders within 90 days, inform passengers of their rights, set up an advisory committee of disability rights advocates and remove other barriers in Greyhound facilities.
In addition, Greyhound will pay more than $17,500 in damages, including payments from $500 to $4,000 to 14 individuals who complained about its service. These include allegations by people who said they were refused passage or boarding assistance because of their impaired vision or mobility, were inappropriately carried on or off buses or were verbally harassed.
The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org
MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency
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