The DC Metro is planning to scale back its MetroAccess service for elderly and disabled people as increasing ridership creates an unsustainable financial burden, Metro officials and board members said. With Metro facing a $189 million gap in its $1.4 billion operating budget this fiscal year, as well as $11 billion in projected capital needs in the coming decade, top Metro officials say the agency cannot afford the mounting costs of paratransit.

MetroAccess is Metro’s shared-ride transit service for people who cannot use standard rail or bus service because of age or disability. Transit agencies across the country have reduced such services, said Metro interim general manager Richard Sarles, noting that MetroAccess faces higher demand partly because similar regional services have been cut back.

Source: Washington Post (May 25, 2010)

Metro is reminding riders that priority seats located near the center doors of every rail car are meant for people with disabilities and older adults.As part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), public transit authorities are required to make priority seating available for people with disabilities and older adults.

While the ADA requires Metro to provide priority seating, it does not allow Metro to enforce it. Therefore customers are asked to be courteous to fellow passengers, pay attention to their surroundings, and keep priority seats available for people who need them. Metro also is encouraging customers who need a seat to be proactive and ask for one.

For more information about accessibility in the Metro system, visit http://www.wmata.com/accessibility or call 202-962-1100 (TTY 202-962-2033).