SEPTA & Accessibility

Because most people with disabilities rely on public transportaion to maintain their independence, Liberty Resources often finds itself at odds with SEPTA, the region's Public Transportation Authority. While Liberty and passionate Consumer advocates have made strides in spurring SEPTA to provide the accessibility to which all people with disabilities are entitled under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, progress in the two decades since the ADA became law remains slow but sure.

Often, progress on one issue seems to give rise to problems on other issues. For instance, as SEPTA's bus fleet has become more accessible in recent years, SEPTA subsequently determined that fewer individuals would qualify for CCT Paratransit--a segregated transportation alternative that, nonetheless, remains the current best option for a large portion of the city's robust community of people with disabilites. By cutting off many Paratransit riders for whom the accessible buses still are not suitable, SEPTA leaves those individuals with little recourse to participate in the community of which they are a vital part.

SEPTA has made some efforts toward accessibility, but frequent failure to enforce policies (such as the use of bridge plates between the platform and trains) and continual problems with accessibility-related equipment (including recurrent, lengthy elevator outages) still persist.

Click the icon below to visit SEPTA's "Accessible SEPTA" webpage and check out your options for accessible transportation in and around Philadelphia.