The Traveling Wheelchair

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910
Boston, MA 02116
Toll Free: 1-800-392-6100
Deaf or Hard of Hearing: TTY (617) 222-5146
Accessibility Hotline: 1-800-392-6100 (press 6)
Website: http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/accessible_services/

While attending Boston’s 20th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA I saw a wheelchair accessible MBTA bus parked inside the Boston Commons at the entrance on the corner of Beacon and Charles Street. As my mom, Ric, Amanda and I approached the bus, we were warmly greeted by Lorraine, a MBTA Instructor. Lorraine kindly invited us inside to check out the accessibility of the bus. I was very impressed with the safety of the wheelchair accessible seating!

Entering the bus is easy for the doors automatically open; once the door is open an accessible folding ramp drops down; this ramp has a gradual slope which allows for an easy wheel. I really like this ramp because it is safer and more reliable than the mechanical wheelchair lifts I’ve used on other buses.

Once inside the bus, I noticed how cool it was with the air-conditioning on which provided plenty of air circulation that is medically important for persons with respiratory issues. Loraine, a MBTA Instructor who teaches MBTA bus drivers how to safely secure passengers seated in wheelchairs told us there are many wheelchair users in the Boston area who use the MBTA accessible busses everyday.

Loraine showed us all the wonderful features of the wheelchair seating. This bus can seat 4-6 passengers seated wheelchairs. The spaces for wheelchairs have a bench seat that folds up. This space has plenty of room for any size wheelchair. Located on the floor underneath the fold-up bench are the  SAEJ2249 approved tiedowns to secure the wheelchair. This bench can be used for passengers not seated in a wheelchair if there are no wheelchair seated passengers needing it.

A passenger seated in a wheelchair is seated facing forward as this is the safest way to travel for a wheelchair seated passengers. Loraine showed me the new wheelchair tiedowns and occupant restraint system (WTORS) on the bus that is from the manufacturer Q’Straint whose equipment complies with Society of Automotive Engineers Recommended Practice SAEJ2249.

Lorraine asked me if I personally wanted to try it out and I said yes. I was in my Permobil C350 Power Chair, a  WC 19 crash tested wheelchair that has four, crash-tested securement points where tie down straps and hooks can be easily attach.

Lorraine placed the tie downs on my wheelchair’s 4 securement points. If your chair does not have these 4 securement points the tie downs can safely be attached at metal frame junctions of your wheelchair. She then placed the Q-straint Occupant Restraints over my shoulder and buckled it to the seatbelt. I felt very safe and secure!

We told Lorraine that after discovering there is no specific law in the State of Massachusetts, regarding the safety of wheelchair-seated passengers, my State Representative Stephen Canessa and my State Senator Marc Pacheco filed House 3785 and Senate 1948: “An Act Relative to the Transportation of Individuals Seated in Wheelchairs”. Dr. Lawrence W. Schneider, Director, University of Michigan’s RERC WTS (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wheelchair Transportation Safety) provided his expert advice for this important MA legislation. I’m sure Dr. Schneider would really like the accessible seating in this bus. You can read all the details and updates of this pending legislation by clicking on House 3785 or Senate 1948.

• This pending Massachusetts Legislation requires wheelchair-seated passengers in any motor vehicle offering paratransit services to be forward-facing and secured with properly installed and maintained wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint system (WTORS) that complies with Society of Automotive Engineers Recommended Practice J2249. It further requires any employee or volunteer who transports or aids in the transportation of a wheelchair-seated passenger will be trained on the proper way to secure a wheelchair seated passenger.

After learning of a Tragic Ohio Accident for Wheelchair Passengers John Seewer, Correspondent Associated Press investigated how many states have seatbelt laws regarding wheelchair seated passengers and shockingly discovered there are only five states other than New Jersey: Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin that require both wheelchairs and their users be secured on paratransit buses that help people in wheelchairs to travel to work, doctor’s offices and shopping centers as you can read about by clicking on ‘Bus seat belt laws mostly exclude wheelchairs’ By John Seewer / Associated Press / May 10, 2010.

To read more information about the safety of transporting wheelchair seated passengers click on  RERC WTS or  RIDE SAFE or W/C Passenger Safety a tab on top of our site which has 10 sections on the importance of wheelchair transportation safety!

We thanked Loraine and told her we were very pleased to see that the MBTA provides the safest method of transporting their wheelchair seated passengers. It is PERFECT and done exactly how the pending Massachusetts Legislation would require of Paratransit vehicles that require all passengers to be buckled up to have the right kind of WTORS equipment installed properly and that passengers in wheelchairs have their wheelchairs secured and use the seatbelt restraints, just like other passengers are required to do.

I hope Senate 1948 or Senate 1948 ”An Act Relative to the Transportation of Individuals Seated in Wheelchairs” is passed in Massachusetts for it will ensure wheelchair seated passengers are safely secured as are all other passengers.

In the future I hope all cities, towns and states in our nation follow the fine example of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority!

I give the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority FIVE STARS for providing the safest transportation for their wheelchair seated passengers. I give Lorraine, MBTA Instructor FIVE STARS for her kindness, sensitivity and knowledge of wheelchair transportation safety. Thank You Lorraine!