Riders with disabilities guide redesign of new transit coach
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) has invited Motor Coach Industries’ D45 CRT LE transit coach to join the council’s rally and march to Washington, D.C, which is part of its July 22-25 Annual Conference on Independent Living.
The 1.5-mile march draws more than 1,000 people with disabilities, disability advocates and allies, members of Congress, and government officials. The D45 CRT LE will be parked from 9-10, am at the Grand Hyatt (at 11th and G Streets NW) and will then keep pace at the rear of the march concluding with NCIL's Rally at the U.S. Capitol starting at 11:00 am.
An accessible coach like no other
NCIL Executive Director Kelly Buckland, who uses a wheelchair, was one of many volunteers for the disability community that evaluated concepts and final prototype design.
"One of the things we learned was how valuable the engagement and feedback would be from everyday users of our vehicles for accessibility features,” said Tom Wagner, MCI vice president of public sector. “NCIL and others were directly reviewing our design as it developed. They told us it is still not common to make user groups part of the design process in transportation, an important part of a person's independence. MCI is exceptionally proud to return as the pace bus for the march to the U.S. Capitol for this reason. We are very proud of this coach and the one-of-a-kind collaboration that built it."
Recent U.S. Department of Transportation figures show that an estimated 25.5 million people have travel-limiting disabilities, accounting for 8.5 percent of the population ages five and older in 2017.
Said Buckland, "You will see many transit agencies with accessibility committees that involve groups like ours, but this is the first time we've worked directly with a major manufacturer of motor coaches to design a vehicle from day one. The MCI D45 CRT LE addresses the day-to-day challenges people with disabilities face. MCI offered us unprecedented access to their process and incorporated our feedback throughout. And that is why this coach is part of the march to the U.S. Capitol."
Battery-electric coming in 2020
Featuring a curb-level ramp requiring minimal operator support, the coach allows passengers with mobility devices to board through a mid-coach door that opens directly into a same-level, patent-pending low floor entry (LE) vestibule. The vestibule offers passenger seating, including for those using mobility devices, plus companion seating, and amenities including power outlet access.
The coach offers the manual Q'Straint wheelchair securement system as standard and the automated Quantum securement system as on option for the rear-facing position on the right of the vestibule.
Since its unveiling in fall 2017, the MCI D45 CRT LE has joined public transit fleets and the private commuter service of a Silicon Valley giant. Georgia's State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), which manages the Xpress mobility and public transportation operations throughout the 12 counties surrounding metropolitan Atlanta, is the latest public transit system to place an order for the all-accessible MCI D45 CRT LE Commuter Coach.
