• April 18th, 2025
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has adopted new guidelines to improve accessibility at public transit stops — effective January 17, 2025. Developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the Global Designing Cities Initiative, these guidelines are part of the DOT's efforts to make streets safer and more accessible for all users.

The guidelines focus on ensuring that transit stops are fully accessible to people with disabilities and consider factors such as sidewalk space, curb management, and the placement of amenities like benches and shelters. Adoption is a significant step towards creating more equitable and accessible urban environments.

The guidelines mandate that new construction and alterations of public transit stops in the public right-of-way must comply with specific accessibility standards that cover boarding and alighting areas, boarding platforms, transit shelters, and accessible connections to existing pedestrian circulation paths.

In more detail:

• Boarding and Alighting Areas must have a minimum length of 96 inches perpendicular to the curb and a width of 60 inches parallel to the street. Slope should match street grade parallel to it and be a maximum of 1:48 (2.1%) perpendicular to it.
• Boarding Platforms must be positioned to align with vehicles and meet specific requirements outlined in 49 CFR parts 37 & 38.
• Pedestrian Access Routes (PARs) connecting altered boarding areas/platforms to existing pedestrian paths must be accessible.
• Transit Shelters must be accessible, as must PARs connecting them.
• PROWAG also covers accessibility for fare vending machines, operable parts of fixed elements, detectable warnings at boarding platforms and rail areas, pedestrian signage, and accessible routes to newly constructed stops.
• This Jan 2 article from Direct Access also reminds us that the introduction of these guidelines will not be a fix-all immediately, as creating truly accessible public transit is not an overnight task, nevertheless DOT adoption of these new guidelines are a critical stepping stone in the groundwork of accessible transport in the United States—requiring not only changes to develop accessible infrastructure, but demanding increased engagement from public transit agency organizations on all levels.
• Enforcement and Scope:
  • The DOT enforces these accessibility standards on new construction and alterations of transit stops int he public right-of-way
  • The guidelines ensure that transit stops are readily accessible and usable by all pedestrians including those with disabilities
  • The Department of Justice enforces PROWAG on other elements in the public right-of-way including sidewalks, crosswalks, and signals

In this article published by NACTO, Chair and Principal with Bloomberg Associates, Janette Sadik-Khan, emphasized the importance of these guidelines in creating streets that work for everyone, stating, "Streets designed with these guidelines [...] are streets that work better for all people." The guidelines are expected to influence local policies and street design practices across the country, promoting inclusivity and accessibility in public transportation.

For multimodal commuters in Western PA, the adoption of the new accessibility guidelines by the U.S. DOT is a promising development as they will now more formally contribute to design and functionality improvements of transit stops, for example, ensuring these facilities are more accessible for riders of all abilities. This could result in more efficient and comfortable commutes for those who rely on various modes of transportation, including buses and light rail.

Construction of Pittsburgh Regional Transit's University Line bus rapid transit project is expected to be our area's inaugural demonstration of how the new ADA standards will be incorporated into our region's public transit system—which PRT notes has been developed in consideration of accessibility standards.

Note: This Final Rule at DOT that became effective January 17, 2025, is broader than just public transit, impacting other modes of transportation including safe and accessible air travel, multimodal accessibility of public transportation facilities, vehicles, and right-of-way, accessibility of electric vehicles and automated vehicles, and includes foundational actions including strengthening programmatic enforcement of ACAA and ADA requirements and the publishing of a new FAQ resource to help grant applicants understand accessibility-related requirements and best practices throughout the transportation project planning process.

Source: NACTO

Related Content:

Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities; Adoption of Accessibility Standards for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way – A rule by the Transportation Department on 12/18/2024, Federal Register, Daily Journal of the United States Government

Letter: NACTO asks U.S. DOT to adopt PROWAG without modifications – NACTO, October 2024

U.S. Access Board's Adoption of PROWAG is an Important Step Toward Safe, Accessible Streets – NACTO, September 2024