Maintenance of Wheelchair Lifts on City Buses
Executive Summary
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is one of the largest and most extensive public transportation systems in the world. One of the MTA’s subsidiaries, New York City Transit (Transit) is responsible for providing safe and efficient transportation for bus and subway passengers throughout the City, including the operation of 204 local and 31 express bus routes that total 1,871 miles.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The law requires transit systems to gradually make their buses and rail systems accessible to the disabled, including wheelchair users, and to provide alternative transportation to those unable to use the transit systems’ fixed route service. All Transit buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts to allow individuals with disabilities access. Wheelchair lifts are either at the rear or front door of the bus, and allow wheelchair passengers to enter at street level.
Transit has experienced a major increase in ridership since the introduction of the “One fare, One City” MetroCard, in 1997. From 1996 to 1999, overall bus ridership increased 36 percent, to approximately 666.4 million, while ridership by wheelchair-bound passengers increased 67 percent, to approximately 593,000 riders.
This audit was initiated to determine whether Transit is routinely inspecting and maintaining wheelchair lifts to ensure that they are operable in accordance with federal guidelines. The scope of this audit was calendar year 2000.
Our audit found that Transit appears to have effective controls over the maintenance of wheelchair lifts, resulting in improved bus service for wheelchair-bound passengers. We found that the wheelchair lifts were operable and that bus operators knew how to operate them. Of the wheelchair lifts in our sample, 98 percent were operable. In addition, 99 percent of the bus operators we observed properly operated the lifts. We also found that the bus depots took a reasonable amount of time to repair buses with defective wheelchair lifts. For the period we reviewed, buses with defective lifts were repaired, on average, within three days. At the end of the audit’s fieldwork, we discussed these findings with an advocacy group for disabled persons. A representative of the group corroborated our findings by stating his impression that bus service provided to wheelchair-bound passengers by Transit has improved over the years.
Our observations of a sample of wheelchair lifts on Transit buses revealed that Transit has done an adequate job in ensuring that those lifts are properly operating. We tested the wheelchair lifts on 200 buses and found that the lifts were operable on 196 (98%) of them. In addition, we found that bus operators operated all the bus wheelchair lifts we observed during our field observations at the depots. Our observations of these bus operators indicated that Transit was meeting its guidelines by ensuring that bus operators are capable of operating wheelchair lifts on its buses. We asked 200 bus operators to operate the wheelchair lifts on their buses, and found that 198 (99%) of them properly operated the wheelchair lifts.
According to Transit guidelines, all unscheduled maintenance work on buses shall be completed within seven days. In addition, safety-related defects must be repaired before any bus is returned to service. However, Transit does not have a time standard specifically related to defective wheelchair lift repairs. Nevertheless, for the period we reviewed, we found that lifts were repaired in an average of three days—well within the seven-day standard for unscheduled maintenance.
To determine how long depots took to repair bus wheelchair lift-related defects, we analyzed the actions in response to bus wheelchair lift related defects entered into Transit’s computer database, the Maintenance Information Diagnostic Analysis System (MIDAS) for July 2000. A total of 1,905 wheelchair lift defects were reported at Transit’s 18 depots. We compared the date each defect was identified and the date each defect was certified as being corrected, and found that Transit took an average of 2.56 days to repair wheelchair lift-related defects from the time the defects were identified.
After completing fieldwork for this audit, and concluding that Transit performed adequately in ensuring that bus wheelchair lifts are maintained in accordance with federal guidelines, we met with an advocacy group for disabled persons to ascertain whether our findings fairly characterize conditions reported by the disabled passengers they represent. According to that advocacy group, Transit has improved the maintenance of wheelchair lifts on buses since 1996.
Our own analysis of complaints received by Transit has shown an overall decline in complaints about bus service to wheelchair-bound passengers, especially in view of the increase in ridership that Transit has experienced over the years. Our comparison of the total number of complaints received, in relation to both the total number of wheelchair-bound passengers and the overall total number of bus passengers from calendar year 1996 through 1999, revealed that while wheelchair-bound passengers are using Transit buses more often, there seem to be fewer reported complaints relating to the service provided. Transit reported significant increases in both total ridership and total wheelchair lift use from calendar years 1996 to 1999—by 36 percent and 67 percent, respectively. Conversely, there was a 15 percent decrease in the number of wheelchair lift-related complaints.
Because we found no significant problems with Transit’s maintenance of wheelchair lifts on its buses, we make no recommendations in this report.
The matters covered in this report were discussed with officials from Transit during, and at the conclusion of, this audit. A preliminary draft report was sent to Transit officials December 20, 2000. Transit officials agreed to forgo an exit conference because we make no recommendations in this report. On January 23, 2001, we submitted a draft report to Transit officials with a request for comments. We received a written response from Transit on February 13, 2001. In its response, Transit agreed with the audit’s findings. Transit stated:
“We are pleased with the City Comptroller’s findings concerning our wheelchair lift maintenance and operating practices. The report found that 98 percent of our wheelchair lifts were operable and 99 percent of our bus operators were proficient in its operation. This performance coupled with the significant decline in the number of wheelchair lift-related complaints reflects the quality service that New York City Transit provides to its customers.”