Bus Riders Complain that their Legroom is Constricted by Space Created for Riders who use Wheelchairs

By Yehudit Garmaise

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) created space in the front of city buses to accommodate New Yorkers who use wheelchairs, however, after many riders complained that they didn’t have enough legroom, the MTA agreed to reconfigure 257 city buses.

 “As riders continue to return to public transit, the MTA is committed to improving leg-room conditions on express buses while maintaining our commitment to accessibility,” Kayla Shults, an MTA spokesperson said Wednesday, The City reported.

The MTA bought the new buses, which rolled out onto city streets in December 2020, for $150 million from Prevost, a Canadian company that is partly owned Volvo, which is now responsible for returning the buses’ layout to the one used by bus models that were assembled between 2012 and 2016.

In addition, the MTA will also require Prevost to reconfigure 132 diesel buses that have already been delivered, but not yet completely assembled.

The buses’ redesigns, which will take two phases to complete, will result in the same legroom for all the seats offered by the older coaches, which received “overwhelmingly positive feedback,” said the MTA, which did not clarify how it will continue to provide extra space for riders who use wheelchairs.

Photo by Flickr