BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA is incentivizing rideshares to add more accessible vehicles for paratransit service after a federal investigation found those rideshares did not have enough transport for people in wheelchairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Besides The Ride, the T partners with rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to provide paratransit rides. But after allegations that the MBTA was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office found those companies did not have the capacity to provide service to people with wheelchairs or the wait times for service were excessive, officials said.
Officials said the investigation was resolved after the MBTA set up a policy incentivizing rideshare companies to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles and that has led to more of those vehicles in service. The MBTA also must monitor wait times for riders needing wheelchair-accessible vehicles and report that data to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for 18 months, officials said.
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