BART Elevator and Wheelchair Access

On April 5, 2017, DRA and Legal Aid at Work filed a lawsuit against BART alleging that it discriminates against people with mobility disabilities and effectively excludes them from the regional mass transit system.

For people with disabilities, problems that may be familiar annoyances to other riders can create absolute barriers to access. Problems cited in the lawsuit include elevators that are broken, out of service, or so soiled they are unusable, as well as non-functioning escalators and fare gates.

The class action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of plaintiffs Senior and Disability Action; the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco; and Ian Smith and Pi Ra, two people with disabilities. The plaintiffs are asking the court to stop BART from discriminating against people with mobility disabilities and to adopt a plan to remove barriers. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief only, and no monetary damages.

If you are a BART rider with a mobility disability we would like to hear from you. Please call or send a text to (510) 542-9461, or email us at bart@legalaidatwork.org.