This TCRP Project J-5, Legal Aspects of Transit and Intermodal Transportation Programs , is designed to provide insight into the operating practices and legal elements of specific problems in transportation agencies. Research results will be helpful to transit operators, administrators, planners, risk managers, and attorneys in devising a transit program that meets the objective of the act, minimizes risk of harm to disabled passengers, and ultimately minimizes the transit operators' potential for tort liability. The purpose of this report is to determine whether and to what extent the ADA may create, or increase, tort liability for transit operators and, if so, what strategies may be legally available to minimize that potential. Section 1 summarizes the duties imposed on transit operators by federal law prior to ADA enactment. Section 2 provides a summary of data collected through a survey of transit agencies' experiences regarding the transport of disabled riders.
Specific attention is placed on application of tort theories to specific disabilities.
The MDTA has been awarded an operational test grant to develop an information kiosk prototype at major rail and bus transfer points. The prototype will consist of an interactive touch screen display with a real-time interface to the existing trip planning system, transit operating system, and the automated vehicle locator system already in place. The research team conducted a literature review and identified kiosk projects at several transit agencies. This report presents a description of the MDTA information kiosk operation test, an overview of kiosk technology, applications of kiosk technology at various transit systems, and lessons learned. Research conclusions are provided along with recommendations for kiosk specifications for the MDTA information kiosk operation test.