Rose Garden Resident
News
VTA provides training and tools to assist passengers in wheelchairs
ByMary Gottschalk
Starting Jan. 1, wheelchair users will find VTA bus rides a safer journey.
With the new year comes a new rule requiring all passengers using mobility devices, such as wheelchairs or scooters, to be secured on board buses.
VTA will use an "S-hook" to secure wheelchairs--two hooks in the front and two hooks in the back. The hooks are connected to straps attached to the floor of the bus, providing a four-point system.
It is a self-tightening system that prevents slack in the straps to keep the wheelchair stationary.
To prepare mobility device users for the change, the VTA is inviting them to make appointments to have their devices marked, to attach tethers if necessary and practice maneuvering on and off a bus.
Camille Williams, accessible service program manager for VTA, says she hopes these new safety measures will encourage some wheelchair users who have not used VTA to try it.
"Come in," she says. "If you've never used a bus before, we'll have a ramp and a bus to practice in."
At the appointment, trained VTA employees will examine the wheelchair to determine the best four points for securing with an S-hook. These will be marked with yellow vinyl tape so bus operators can quickly locate and secure them.
Some devices may require tethers for the hooks, which the VTA will install for free and mark with blue vinyl tape.
Both tapes are removable.
"We want customers to contact us so we can look at their wheelchairs," Williams says.
She encourages them to call 408.952.4249, or for TDD, 408.321.2330 to set up an appointment on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. through December.
These appointments will be at the VTA Administrative Offices, 3331 N. First St., San Jose.
Additionally the VTA is visiting senior centers to provide training and marking.
This new requirement is to maintain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Federal Transit Administration requirements that mobility devices be secured.
Additional information, including a brochure, is on the VTA website at www.vta.org.
