Wheelchair Marking Campaign Improves Accessibility

News Articles
05/06/2002

AC Transit has kicked off a 60-day Wheelchair Marking/Tether Strap campaign aimed at removing the guesswork from correctly securing wheelchairs on District buses. This program, free of cost to wheelchair users, extends through June.

Bus operators must securely tie-down wheelchairs every time a user boards a bus, but variations in their design can make the task time-consuming and difficult. Since preferred attachment points can vary, AC Transit is offering to examine individual wheelchairs and identify each one’s best securement points. Each wheelchair is then marked with color-coded guides so bus drivers can tell at a glance how to secure it correctly – an action taken in advance that will help speed up the boarding process.

Standard wheelchairs, which usually fit stock securement systems, get yellow tape markings that tell bus drivers where the proper tie-down attachments are made. Wheelchairs that are irregular in size or shape get special blue markings at securement points. If needed, the District also will install heavy-duty yellow tether straps – free of charge – to insure compatibility with bus tie-down systems.

Wheelchair users are urged to make an appointment during the next 60 days with AC Transit’s accessibility staff at any of six East Bay locations: The District’s Customer Services office at 1600 Franklin Street in downtown Oakland; the Center for Independent Living’s facility in Berkeley or in East Oakland; the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Richmond; and either of two Community Resources for Independent Living offices in Hayward and Fremont.

For more information or to make an appointment, call AC Transit at (510) 891-7113.
See the online brochure about wheelchair securement.