Public Transportation Options When Blind or Low Vision
This content is also available in:
Español (Spanish)
Traveling by bus, train, or airplane across the United States can present unique challenges for individuals who are blind or have low vision. Fortunately, services and legal protections are in place to ensure travelers can navigate transportation systems safely and independently. This guide covers essential details about accessible public transportation and air travel for passengers who are blind or have low vision. By understanding your rights and the services available, you can confidently make informed decisions and travel.
Traveling the Country by Bus or Rail
There are several options for traveling by public transportation. Amtrak offers cross-country train services with amenities such as dining, sleeper cars, and baggage handling. It serves most major cities and offers perks through its Rewards Program.
Megabus is a budget-friendly option, particularly in the Northeast, though it is currently restructuring its routes and fares.
Greyhound, with one of the largest bus networks, provides discounted fares for veterans through its WeSalute+ program and offers assistance to passengers with disabilities. However, Greyhound’s first-come, first-served boarding policy means that purchasing a ticket doesn’t always guarantee a seat during peak times.
Likewise, people with low vision can use a local transit service (public bus system).
Your Right to Accessible Public Transportation
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives people with disabilities many essential rights to access transportation. If you have a disability, you are entitled to the same right to use and enjoy public transportation as people without disabilities. Here are some examples of what your local transit authority must do to make a transportation system accessible:
- Public buses need to be accessible to those in wheelchairs.
- Drivers need to announce their stops out loud to benefit persons who are blind or low vision who ride the bus.
- Telephones, drinking fountains, and restrooms inside the terminal should also be accessible.
Paratransit Services
If the local transit authority cannot adequately serve its clients with disabilities in its regular system, it must create a parallel transportation system for people with disabilities. This system is referred to as a paratransit system.
Paratransit systems are curb-to-curb demand-responsive systems. This means you should be able to schedule a trip, be picked up at your door, be taken to your destination, and return home.
You should be able to schedule your ride 24 hours in advance. Your pick-up time should be within one hour before or after your desired departure time. You should not be asked to schedule your trip during off-peak hours. The transit authority should put additional vans and buses on the road during peak hours to meet the demand.
Most paratransit services require an application to be eligible.
Additional Sources for Finding Transportation
Air Travel when Blind or Low Vision
When traveling by air, passengers who are blind or have low vision are protected by the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability. The U.S. Department of Transportation enforces these regulations, which apply to all flights that operate within, into, or out of the United States. Travelers can expect services such as seating accommodations, assistance throughout the airport, and access to service animals in the cabin.
When requesting assistance at an airport, passengers should notify airline staff in advance to arrange for help navigating through security and boarding. Airlines must also provide enplaning, deplaning, and connection assistance, ensuring that travelers with disabilities receive timely support.
Overview of the Air Carrier Access Act
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is a law that makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability. The Department of Transportation (DOT) enforces the ACAA, which applies to all flights to, from, or within the United States.” DOT has developed a bill of rights for passengers with disabilities.
Furthermore, DOT has put together disability-related training materials for airline employees/contractors. These include the following topics:
Major Provisions
- A person may not be refused transportation based on disability or be required to have an attendant or produce a medical certificate, except in certain limited circumstances specified in the rule.
- Airlines must not require a passenger with a disability to provide advance notice that they are traveling on a flight. However, it is recommended that you call the airline before your trip to confirm any assistance that you have requested.
- Airlines must provide enplaning, deplaning, and connecting assistance, including personnel and equipment.
- Passengers who are blind or have low vision or who are deaf or hard of hearing must have timely access to the same information about gate assignments, delayed flights, safety, etc., given to other passengers at the airport or on the plane.
- Carriers must allow service animals to accompany passengers in the cabin if they don’t block the aisle or other emergency evacuation routes. Individuals with a service animal or a fused leg have priority for the bulkhead seats. If a service animal is blocking the aisle or another emergency evacuation route, the passenger should be allowed to move with the animal to another seat location, if present on the aircraft, where the animal can be accommodated.
- If you would prefer or need a certain type of seating accommodation, you should contact the airline when you make your reservation to learn more about how the airline arranges seating accommodations. If you cannot get an advance seat assignment, you can request to board the aircraft before others to care for your needs.
- Airlines must make a specially trained “Complaints Resolution Official” available if a dispute arises. Every airport must have a copy of the Department of Transportation rule.
Requesting Assistance
According to the latest DOT update (April 2023), “if a passenger with a disability requests assistance to move through the airport, the airline must promptly provide the requested assistance. This assistance may be a guide for an individual who is blind or wheelchair assistance for an individual with a mobility impairment. To receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify to airline staff at the airport as the person with a disability needing this service.”
Going Through Airport Security
You may request help from a TSA Passenger Support Specialist (PSS), who can assist with security screening. A PSS is a TSA officer who has received specialized training on assisting individuals with disabilities or medical conditions.
To obtain this assistance, you must contact TSA at least 72 hours before departure by completing the TSA Cares form or calling TSA Cares at (855) 787-2227.
Screening
According to the TSA website, white canes, braille note-takers, and other aids must undergo X-ray screening. A TSA officer will inspect the device if it does not fit through the X-ray machine. Notify the TSA officer if you need to be immediately reunited with the device after it is screened by X-ray. Individuals may place their long mobility cane on the conveyor belt when going through security. The TSA officer should retrieve the mobility cane before allowing the person through the magnetometer and return it to the individual so they can navigate through security.
- Depending on the cane’s material makeup, the individual may walk through the magnetometer with it; some canes do not set off the alarm, while others do. Touching the sides of the magnetometer with your cane or hand can trigger the alarm. In all cases, if the individual or the cane sets off the alarm, a TSA officer will pat the individual down or search the cane with a wand.
- Some individuals use their mobility cane to navigate to the magnetometer and then hand it through to a TSA officer. If the cane sets off an alarm, the TSA officer examines it and possibly wipes it down with a cloth, testing for explosive residue.
- Once a TSA officer has cleared the cane, the individual may step through the magnetometer. After clearing, their cane will be returned.
Traveling With a Service Animal
When traveling with a service animal, airlines may require:
According to the DOT, airlines cannot require additional documentation from people who use service animals except to comply with requirements on animal transport set by a Federal agency, a U.S. territory, or a foreign jurisdiction.
Service Animal Identification
When traveling with a dog guide, the animal needs to have an identifying tag or harness because not all service animals are protected. Airlines may deny accommodations for emotional support or psychiatric (therapy) service animals.
If an airline employee claims that your dog guide is an emotional support or therapy animal and denies service or accommodations, you can provide specific documentation to prove otherwise. Airlines must accept identification cards, other written documentation, the presence of harnesses, tags, or credible verbal assurances of a qualified individual with a disability using the animal. If, for some reason, the airline decides not to accept or accommodate your dog guide as a service animal, they must explain the reason for the decision and document it in writing. A copy of the explanation must be provided to the passenger at the airport or within ten calendar days of the incident. (This information was retrieved from “Part 382—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel”.)
Dog Guide Procedures
According to the TSA website, if you are traveling with a service animal, follow these steps: First, inform the TSA officer about your dog.
- The walk-through metal detector (WTMD) will screen you and your dog. You can walk through together, or you may lead your dog through separately on a leash. If you alarm the WTMD, you and your service animal will undergo additional screening, including a pat-down.
- If you opt not to be screened by the WTMD, you and your service animal will undergo a pat-down.
- TSA will not separate you from your service animal.
Accessories
Collars, harnesses, leashes, backpacks, vests, and other items are subject to screening. Items that are necessary to maintain control of your dog do not need to be removed. For metal detector screening, consider using items (harness, vest, or leash) that have little to no metal.
If you need to relieve your dog and exit the security checkpoint, you and your dog will need to go through the screening process again. Upon your return, request to move to the front of the line.
Medication for service animals must go through an X-ray or inspection screening. You should separate medications and inform the TSA officer that you carry these items for your service animal.
Storing Your White Cane on the Plane
While on the aircraft, individuals who are blind or low vision are welcome to use a white cane, but options for safe placement in the airplane cabin are limited. Canes may be stored in one of two places: under the seat in front of the individual (as long as the cane isn’t sticking out into the central cabin aisle) or on the floor against the outside wall of the plane (under the windows). During take-off and landing, you can keep your foot on the cane so it doesn’t slide away from your seating area. Long straight canes may not be placed in the overhead bins; should an accident and the overhead doors open, the cane can become spear-like and cause serious injury. Some airplanes have a narrow closet by the first-class section, and the flight attendant may offer to keep your cane there during the flight. However, they are not required to provide this, nor can they require a passenger to place the cane in the closet.
Your Rights
If you have concerns about your treatment, you may request to speak with a supervisor at the checkpoint. You may also submit your concern(s) to the TSA Contact Center.
Handling Conflict
If you are uncertain about what to do when going through security, ask a TSA officer. Ideally, the TSA officer should explain everything they want you to do and what they are doing. If something happens and you feel it could have been handled more respectfully, request a supervisor and share your concerns. If you think the supervisor did not adequately address your concerns, tell the supervisor you want to speak with a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO). All U.S. airline carriers must always have a CRO on duty by the Air Carrier Access Act. The CRO is in place to help bring about a satisfactory resolution for the passenger.
- Visit Transportation.gov for additional information about the Air Carrier Access Act and utilizing a Complaints Resolution Official.
- Read “Passenger Support” for information on screening assistance and passenger support specialists.
Conclusion
Thanks to numerous legal protections and dedicated services, traveling across the U.S. by train, bus, or plane is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision. Whether you are taking Amtrak across the country, hopping on a Greyhound bus, or navigating through airport security, it’s important to know your rights and utilize the resources available to you. By planning ahead and being informed, passengers with disabilities can enjoy the freedom and adventure of travel with greater ease.