"While our country has made enormous progress in the three decades since passing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), too many people with disabilities still don't have access to reliable public transportation. Using funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are modernizing some of our oldest public rail stations and ensuring that more Americans count on our transit systems to get where they need to go." – U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
The Struggle is Real – But it Could be Getting Easier
If you work for a U.S. transit station, chances are you’re aware of the work that still needs to be done to make our transportation system more accessible to folks with disabilities. Despite the progress made since the passage of ADA, about a fifth of transit stations still aren’t accessible, according to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Is your station one of them?
People with disabilities are about twice as likely as those without them to use public transit according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And yet, ~25 million Americans say they have a disability that interferes with their ability to get around. Inaccessible transit service and experiences can directly impact their employability and job prospects, social interactions, and can keep them from living their lives to the fullest – something we all should be able to enjoy.
Accessibility investments can help chip away at the work to be done to make transit service more welcoming for all – and the U.S. Government’s new All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) is a great start.
Get With the Program
Let’s take a closer look at the funding available for transit stations with ASAP – both now and what we expect will be available in the years to come.
- ASAP leverages funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will provide $1.75 billion for accessibility projects at U.S. transit stations.
- The program includes $343 million in a notice of funding availability for fiscal year 2022 (closes October 7, 2022).
- An additional four years of $350M is expected to be made available through FY2026, totaling $1.75B.
Watch the informational webinars:
NOTE: Transit agencies intending to apply should initiate the process of registering on GRANTS.GOV immediately to ensure completion of registration before the submission deadline.
Eligible ASAP Projects
ASAP funds could be applied to implement wider walkways to accommodate wheelchairs, braille signage, and other physical upgrades – and they also could be used for a range of accessibility planning projects. (Read more about eligible activities.)
In fact, according to The Washington Post, Illinois Senator Tammi Duckworth – a double amputee who uses a wheelchair and championed the Infrastructure Bill (HR 3684) that made ASAP possible – sees the federal funds being used for projects such as “implementing a phone app that is easier for people with vision, hearing, or cognitive disabilities to use than traditional tickets” in addition to physical accessibility upgrades.
GoodMaps Is Part of the Solution
GoodMaps provides similar capabilities – and more – to what Senator Duckworth envisions. Our lidar-based technology along with image recognition provides leading indoor wayfinding and navigation with turn-by-turn directions and unprecedented accuracy for those who are blind or have low vision, those with hearing loss, travelers with neurodiversity, or those who are simply a bit “navigation challenged.” We’ve even partnered with Intel to make our technology even more robust and scalable for the future, connecting passengers with the resources they need to explore on their own terms.
And the benefits of GoodMaps are already being realized by travelers at GoodMaps-enabled Transpennine Express stations in the UK, providing users with safer, autonomous, and more confident journeys – regardless of their abilities.
Let’s Get Started
It couldn’t be more clear: now is the time to make investments that address the needs of travelers with disabilities. By investing in GoodMaps you’ll also be laying a modern technology foundation for the future that can benefit everyone who uses your station – now and for years to come.
Get in touch today and let us help you secure the federal funds you need to make your station modern and accessible.