No Top U.S. Transit System Is Easy for Disabled Riders
A University of Michigan dashboard ranks 99 public transit systems across 85 cities on accessibility.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Special Education
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None of the 99 largest U.S. public transportation systems are easy for people with disabilities to use across four key areas of accommodation and accessibility. The findings come from a national database released by the University of Michigan and published in the journal Disabilities.
Why it matters
Accessibility data for U.S. transit has been sparse, not integrated nationally and rarely communicated in plain language, making it hard for riders and officials to compare systems. The dashboard gives the United States a single, comparable view of how well transit serves people with disabilities.
The dashboard, drawn from a study of 99 U.S. transit systems in 85 cities, scores each on adjacency, availability, affordability and acceptability. Grand Rapids ranks 39th, Detroit 50th and Flint 71st out of 85 cities, and the report does not address specific steps those systems plan to take.
The players
University of Michigan
A public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which developed the dashboard and the study published in the journal Disabilities.
The details
The U-M Public Transit Accessibility Dashboard was developed with input from disabled riders, community advocates, researchers and other stakeholders. Users can compare cities, view maps and download the data. Washington, D.C., Phoenix and San Diego performed best overall, while Hampton, Virginia, Allentown, Pennsylvania and Anchorage, Alaska performed lowest.
Timeline
November 13, 2026: The dashboard and study findings were published.
Culture Shift
The dashboard measures how far transit systems have come under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which required public transit to accommodate riders with disabilities. Its four-part scoring shifts the question from whether accommodations exist to whether they are usable in practice.
Riders with disabilities across the United States can use the dashboard to compare how their local transit system performs on adjacency, availability, affordability and acceptability. Transit agencies and advocates can use the city-by-city data to identify where accessibility gaps are largest.
The takeaway
Check how your local transit system scores on the public dashboard before relying on it for daily travel. Riders who face accessibility barriers can share specific findings with local agencies to press for improvements.
Further reading
For more on how disability accommodations are shaped in schools and beyond, explore Special Education coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Phys.
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Do you think public transit in your area is accessible for riders with disabilities?
