The fully accessible fleet means not only passengers in wheelchairs, but elderly transit riders, injured men and women on crutches, and people pushing strollers will easily be able to board a bus without relying on assistance from the driver or struggling up stairs.
The agency has helped fund the creation of PERCEPT — an indoor navigation system that one day will allow users to make their way through a rail station by listening to step-by-step directions on their smartphones, which lead them to electronic sensors or “tags” throughout the building.
The move could possibly open direct competition between taxis and Uber in the realm of wheelchair transit. But the sector is far from profitable, and that has raised the concern of taxi officials.
The agency's board also commended the extraordinary service of current GM/CEO Richard Sarles to Metro since 2010.
The lamps should heat skin and bring up the body's core temperature a bit, but they might be hindered by riders' heavy clothing.
Brian Kibby is the former president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, a leading innovator in the development of 21st century learning solutions for postsecondary and higher education markets worldwide.
More than 30 additional railcars are on the way and will be here in the weeks leading up to the April opening of two new Metro rail lines. The railcars, which were part of a $153 million contract with CAF USA, were delivered eight months late.
Two federal grants totaling $38 million are paying for the buses, 31 of which will have arrived by the end of February, with an additional 49 expected to arrive beginning in April, according to the city. The first seven new buses, which will have security cameras installed, are expected to be in service in the next two weeks.