§12184 Prohibition of discrimination in specified public transportation services provided by private entities

Summary

Private companies whose main job is carrying people and that affect commerce must not treat anyone unfairly because of a disability when they offer certain public transportation services. Unfair treatment includes using rules that block people with disabilities unless the rule is really needed; refusing to make reasonable changes; not providing needed assistive aids or services; failing to remove barriers; or buying or remanufacturing vehicles or rail cars that are not accessible when the purchase request is made more than 30 days after this law took effect. New vans with fewer than 8 seats (including the driver) and demand‑responsive vehicles can be exempt if the whole system gives people with disabilities a level of service equal to the public. Over‑the‑road buses must follow specific accessibility rules. Rail cars rebuilt to last 10 years or more, or new rail cars ordered after 30 days, must be made accessible as much as possible. If making changes would badly harm the historic character of an old rail car or a station, or would break safety rules from the Secretary of Transportation, the company does not have to make those changes. A “historical or antiquated rail passenger car” is one at least 30 years old, made by a manufacturer no longer building such cars, and tied to past events or styles or being restored to represent an earlier time.