Public transportation is an essential part of everyday life for many, not only because it gets people from point A to point B, but because it connects communities to each other and provides access to resources such as employment, education, and medical care. For the millions of Americans who routinely use public transportation in their daily lives, its continual upkeep and innovation are essential.
A significant component of public transportation that is lacking is its accessibility to the elderly and people with disabilities. Broken elevators, crowded stations, outdated facilities, and delays are common features of American public transportation, varying by city size and resources. Such inaccessibility prevents millions of Americans from experiencing social mobility and integration, as well as preventing equitable access to resources.
Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 that prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in transportation and other services, one third of U.S. railways are noncompliant. In New York City, only 25% of its subway stations are accessible despite ADA standards. The ADA was an important landmark in increasing equal opportunity for disabled individuals, yet some local governments incorrectly believe that it has a “grandfather clause” that shields them from updating older facilities. This misconception prevents individuals from accessing and participating in government programs because of reluctance to allocate funds toward accessibility.
Due to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, public transit stations in the U.S. are beginning to undertake renovations to improve their accessibility. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was awarded a $67 million grant to improve accessibility in its subway lines. Additionally, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation devoted $23.7 million to the Community Transit Grant Program to meet accessibility needs. In New Jersey, a rail station in East Orange will receive $83 million in disability upgrades, including improvements to elevators and upgrading communication systems. It is important to note that the ADA lays out a minimum set of standards that businesses have to follow. As a result, some systems only provide the bare minimum of accessibility standards mandated by the ADA, preventing many disabled and elderly Americans from accessing transit stations. Thus, there are more ways beyond the ADA requirements to make public transportation accessible.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase accessibility of public transportation systems. By using passenger demographics to identify areas most in need of accessible services, AI can reduce travel times and optimize routes to minimize delays, improving reliability. Technologies such as voice recognition, natural language processing, and computer vision can enhance the user experience of navigating websites. For public transportation departments, this means often glitchy websites could become more efficient and user-friendly. Additionally, live tracking of buses, subways, and trains can make trips easier to plan.
As AI becomes increasingly more prominent in daily life, it is important for companies to start integrating it into their systems for a smoother transition. For transportation departments, this could look like partnering with AI providers to discuss what services are most needed. Identifying needs directly from those affected by inaccessible transportation is an essential step of increasing accessibility, through community forums and town halls, for example. Departments will need to implement employee training programs and educate their customers on how these technologies can serve them. Public transportation has the potential to leave broken and outdated facilities and elevate their services using the latest technology to make transportation more equitable.
Written by Nora Priede von Herber, Public Policy Intern
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.