Newman aims to make public transit more accessible to those with disabilities

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman is backing legislation aimed at making public transportation systems more accessible to passengers with disabilities.

This week, Newman, D-La Grange, and fellow Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Chicago, introduced the All Stations Accessibility Program Act of 2021. The bill would establish a federal grant program to support transit and commuter rail systems to upgrade stations to meet or exceed accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to a news release.

“Building world-class, equitable public transportation starts by ensuring every station, bus and train across our nation is equally accessible to everyone,” Newman said in the release. “In cities across the country, public transit represents the great connector to jobs, housing, education and opportunity, but this great public service falls short of its promise when it is not accessible to all Americans.”

The congresswoman cited data from the Federal Transit Administration which found that as of 2019, nearly 20% of all transit stations were not ADA accessible.

Her bill would establish a discretionary grant program that supports local transit authority and commuter rail efforts to increase the number of accessible stations or facilities. The bill would appropriate $10 billion over 10 years for the grant program.

Several agencies, including Metra, support the bill.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, introduced a companion bill in the Senate, along with two colleagues.