ADA Toolkit

• Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 37, ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities. U.S. DOT Standards for buildings and facilities are found here.
• 49 CFR Part 38, Accessibility Specifications for Transportation Vehicles

FTA often communicates guidance on regulations through circulars, which assist grantees in understanding and complying with statutory requirements. This guidance provides grantees with direction on program-specific issues and statutory requirements. 



In 2015, FTA issued its Circular 4710.1, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Guidance. This circular incorporates U.S. DOT requirements under the ADA as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The requirements and guidance in FTA ADA Circular 4710.1 apply to all transit providers, including those that operate FTA-funded programs, including subrecipients of the Section 5311 Formula Grants for Rural Areas program. This includes recipients of Section 5311 Tribal Transit Program (TTP) funds.

The FTA Master Agreement contains the standard terms and conditions that apply to recipients of FTA grant funds, including funds awarded under the Tribal Transit Program. The FTA Master Agreement (version 31, May 2, 2024) contains specific ADA guidance for Tribal Transit Program (TTP) recipients and states that, while the requirements of the ADA are generally applicable to FTA recipients, only Title II (Public services) and Title III (Public Accommodations and Services by Private Entities) are applicable to Tribes. Title I (Employment) does not apply to Tribes because it exempts them from the definition of “employer.” Since Tribes are not specifically exempt from the provisions of Title II, FTA’s requirements in 49 CFR Parts 27 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance), 37 (Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities), 38 (Accessibility Specifications for Transportation Vehicles), and 39 (Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities: Passenger Vessels) all apply to Tribes that receive FTA funding. For more information, see the Tribal Transit ADA section of the Transit Manager’s Toolkit.

The FTA Comprehensive Review Contractors Manual Fiscal Year 2024, is intended to provide guidance to FTA staff and contractors but may be used by recipients to better understand the minimum compliance requirements that recipients are expected to meet. ADA sections (General and Complementary Paratransit) include specific, citable, clearly articulated written requirements for compliance.

The FTA TTP Assessment Manual Fiscal Year 2023, is intended for Tribal Transit Program (TTP) recipients, FTA staff, and FTA contractors conducting these assessments. TTP recipients can use this guide to identify and better understand ADA requirements and prepare for an assessment. Like the FTA Comprehensive Review Contractors Manual Fiscal Year 2024 (above), the FTA TTP Assessment Manual Fiscal Year 2023 also provides specific, citable, clearly articulated written requirements for compliance.

• U.S. DOT, Questions and Answers Concerning Wheelchairs and Bus and Rail Service Disability Law Guidance  
• U.S. DOT, Origin-to-Destination Service Disability Law Guidance
• U.S. DOT, Paratransit Requirements for Section 5311-Funded Fixed-Route Service Operated by Private Entities Disability Law Guidance
• U.S. DOT, “Dear Colleague” letter on shared mobility, December 5, 2016 
• FTA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to ADA and shared mobility
• FTA "Premium Charges" for Paratransit Services
• FTA Title VI Requirements for ADA Paratransit Question and Answer Concerning FTA’s Circular 4702.1B, “Title VI Requirements and Guidelines for FTA Recipients”
• National Council on Disability, Transportation Update: Where We’ve Gone and What We’ve Learned (2015)
  

FTA sponsored a series of technical assistance documents Topic Guides on ADA Transportation. Published in 2010, the topic guides were developed by the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) and TranSystems Corporation and are hosted on the DREDF website and linked to from the ADA section of the FTA website.

As noted in the FTA Circular, while the U.S. DOT ADA regulations do not set standards for website accessibility, FTA suggests that agencies review U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) guidance, Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities. Information about the U.S. DOJ Final Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps is available on FTA’s ADA Guidance website and the FTA’s Civil Rights/ADA What’s New website. These websites include links to the U. S. DOJ’s Final Rule, Press Release (April 8, 2024), Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments, and an Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments: A Small Entity Compliance Guide.

Technical guidance on making websites accessible can be found in U.S. Access Board Information and Communication Technology - Revised 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines. National RTAP provides additional website accessibility technical assistance for rural transit agencies. Additional resources are introduced in the Rider Information section of this Toolkit.

• 28 CFR Part 35 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services
• 29 CFR Part 1630 - Regulations to Implement the Equal Employment Provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• 36 CFR Part 1194 - Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines
• 49 CFR Part 27 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
• 49 CFR Part 37 - Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (ADA), including Appendix E
• 49 CFR Part 38 - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Specifications for Transportation Vehicles
• 49 CFR Part 39 - Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities: Passenger Vessels
• Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 37, ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities 
• FTA ADA Guidance website
• FTA Circular 4710.1, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Guidance
• FTA Comprehensive Review Contractors Manual Fiscal Year 2023 
• FTA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to ADA and shared mobility
• FTA Master Agreements, FTA Master Agreement (version 31, May 2, 2024)
• FTA "Premium Charges" for Paratransit Services
• FTA Title VI Requirements for ADA Paratransit Question and Answer Concerning FTA’s Circular 4702.1B, “Title VI Requirements and Guidelines for FTA Recipients”
• FTA Topic Guides on ADA Transportation
• FTA TTP Assessment Manual Fiscal Year 2023
• U.S. Access Board, Information and Communication Technology - Revised 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines
• U.S. DOJ’s ADA.Gov Website including U.S. DOJ Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities, Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments, and Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments: A Small Entity Compliance Guide.
• U.S. DOT, “Dear Colleague” letter on shared mobility, December 5, 2016
• U.S. DOT, Origin-to-Destination Service Disability Law Guidance
• U.S. DOT, Paratransit Requirements for Section 5311-Funded Fixed-Route Service Operated by Private Entities Disability Law Guidance
• U.S. DOT, Questions and Answers Concerning Wheelchairs and Bus and Rail Service Disability Law Guidance 
• U.S. DOT Standards for Buildings and Facilities (2006)

Updated February 3, 2025