Route And Stop Announcements (RASA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that requires that fixed route transportation systems make their operations accessible specifies more than mere physical accessibility. It also requires that transit related information be disseminated in accessible forms. The US DOT issued the documentation: Part 49 CFR Section 37 which includes all of the specific requirements as to how a transit system shall make themselves accessible and to not discriminate against persons with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

Subsection 167 covers those requirements for the internal announcements of the street on which the bus is traveling, the cross-streets as they are being approached and the intersections where the bus is stopping, transfer points to other routes and modes, and points of interest along the route. External announcements of Route Number and Destination must be made where a person is waiting at a particular stop when more than one route is served at that stop.

Although many transit companies have included such announcement duties in their operating rules for many years even prior to the ADA, a significant number of bus operators are flouting that law, and Managements have not placed a high priority on complying with the DOT rules.

The associated consultants and organization of ModalChoice believe that heavy-handed command approaches to "just do it" is not an effective way of gaining the compliance of RASA requirements. One cannot merely demand that everyone comply and expect to obtain that compliance goal.

A systematic approach must be made that informs the operators of how and why the RASA information is to be made. Every department from Management on down must be drawn in to the plan for full compliance. After all, if the operators are not compliant to the rules, neither is the whole transit agency.
   
  In any small group of randomly selected bus operators there will be a variety of seniority levels that represent points in time where certain rules and procedures either were or were not emphasized or enforced.

We heard the statements that when "I was hired, we didn't need to think about calling out stops, nobody cared." Although that may once have been true, it no longer is. The DOT and the DOJ have been getting serious about RASA compliance.

It is everyone's task to make sure the announcements are made.
Classroom instruction that emphasizes the importance of getting the route and stop information to the customers and how those messages should be made is an essential element of any successful program.
"It is more than just persons who are blind that benefit from stop announcements. It is anyone who cannot see out of a crowded bus or who is traveling at night or who can see but cannot read."

Even people who are just not familiar with the route and/or are riding it for the first time.
   
We, as transit companies, want people to use our services more.

We want people to transition to the fixed route services from our Complimentary Paratransit services. Typically, three-quarters or more of our Eligible Paratransit riders are fully ambulatory, that is they do not need the lift to board the bus. They just need better information.
  To get information about how to implement an out-of-the-box, fully customized curriculum, call Robert Carlson at 410-744-9415 or email to Robert@ModalChoice.com

We can provide trainers for short or long term programs, develop local talent to maintain your ongoing needs. Monitoring of baseline and post-training compliance levels can be included in your complete package of services. Mystery Rider monitoring is available through Simon & Simon Resources, Inc. and through Transit Access both of whom are affiliated through ModalChoice.com