36 CFR Part 1192 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles (2016 Non-Rail Vehicle Guidelines) - Preamble

T202 Accessible Means of Boarding and Alighting

All buses, OTRBs, and vans covered under the 2016 Non-Rail Vehicle Guidelines must provide at least one means of accessible boarding and alighting that serves all designated stops on the assigned route to which the vehicle is assigned. These vehicles must also provide access to the roadway in the event passengers must be offloaded where there is no platform or curb. Provision of accessible boarding and alighting may be accomplished through the use of ramps and bridgeplates, lifts, or level boarding and alighting systems that meet the technical requirements in Chapter 4. Accessibility requirements for level boarding bus systems are new to the 2016 Non-Rail Vehicle Guidelines because the advent of such transit systems (e.g., bus rapid transit systems) post-dated the issuance of the existing guidelines in 1991. Only two commenters expressed views on this scoping section, and both supported the Access Board’s inclusion of requirements for level boarding bus systems.