Huge gaps remain in accessible transportation.
Many disabled Californians struggle to find accessible transportation. This includes accessible ride-share vehicles, taxi cabs with drivers who are trained to assist passengers with disabilities, and public transit options. Nearly half of the requests from disabled riders for rideshare services go unanswered.[49]
Disability organizations have sued Uber and Lyft for violations of disability rights laws. Many of these same organizations have tried to work closely with Uber and Lyft to ensure that they include people with disabilities in their planning process and structure. Advocates will continue to put pressure on all parties involved to ensure that disabled people are given accessible options for ground transportation. This issue is one of equity, especially because many disabled people are unable to drive and/or have a difficult time finding accessible parking spots.
California’s many public transportation systems frequently lack critical accessibility infrastructure. Discriminatory attitudes are pervasive across drivers, operators, and leadership, resulting in either a lack of service or mistreatment of people with disabilities. This level of discrimination is harmful and can cause disabled people to miss critical appointments, flights, meetings, job interviews, employment opportunities, or just time out with friends, family, and general recreation. Additionally, many transportation systems do not adequately engage disabled people in planning processes — resulting in inaccessible systems, including trains and buses with access challenges, notification, signage, and wayfinding access issues, and inaccessible fare and payment systems or inequitable policies.
Paratransit is an important tool for many disabled people. However, it is not equitable to force disabled people to rely on paratransit due to a lack of access to other forms of transit. Paratransit systems have limitations, such as that they are often not a reliable source of day-to-day transportation.[50] Paratransit is different from other forms of transit in that it requires reservations (sometimes 48 hours in advance) and scheduling, and wait times often reach unacceptable levels, leaving riders stranded. In addition, many paratransit systems severely penalize cancellations.
Autonomous vehicles are starting to become more popular, especially within major cities in California. Disability advocates have pushed policies requiring accessible autonomous vehicle availability. California must engage disabled people in conversations regarding autonomous vehicles to ensure disabled people have equal access to autonomous vehicle technology as it becomes increasingly available.[51] There is no debate that accessible transportation needs to be reformed and improved. The state, through numerous initiatives, has a well-documented understanding of the gaps in this service area. Despite these efforts, no improvements have been made. Transportation services for disabled riders have remained inadequate for decades while the rest of the transportation system benefits from improved policies and increased funding.