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Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains (2011)

Chapter: CHAPTER FIVE Strollers

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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER FIVE Strollers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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30 CHAPTER FIVE STROLLERS LITERATURE REVIEW ON STROLLERS AND STROLLER ACCOMMODATION POLICIES The problem of accommodating strollers has grown as the size of strollers has increased. No longer just small umbrella strollers, which can be folded and hung over the arm, strollers are now multipurpose, with removable baby carriers and attached pouches for diapers, bottles, and other accessories. Magazine articles and blogs report conflicts between par- ents with strollers and other passengers. For example, this 2008 posting on a blog dedicated to “The T” light rail system in Boston describes the conflict: I wavered between who I found more annoying: the woman who brought a ginormous stroller on public transportation or the passengers who steadfastly refused to let her in thus creating a dangerous bottleneck (Ginormous Strollers on T Buses 2008). One example of the struggle over this issue is an incident in October 2008 that created outrage in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, when a bus driver refused to allow a young woman onto the bus with a stroller and then drove off with her two- year-old child on board (Drudi 2008). Following the incident, OC Transpo’s staff proposed a series of recommendations that would provide clear rules about the transportation of strollers on the OC Transpo buses. One of the most contro- versial rules was prohibiting open strollers, except in empty spaces designated for wheelchairs. If there were no empty spaces, the stroller would have to be folded. Upon cries that this rule discriminated against parents and would be a hard- ship in winter weather, the OC Transpo transit committee agreed to continue to allow open strollers in the aisles, unless the driver found that the open strollers interfered with the safe movement of passengers (Cockburn 2009). OC Transpo adopted a new Co-operative Seating Area. Royal blue decals displaying new, modern graphics depicting people eligible to use Co-operative Seating are placed on the windows in this area. Although wheelchairs are given priority in the United States, Canadian providers may offer priority to per- sons using wheelchairs and other mobility devices; people with children that may or may not be in strollers; pregnant women; seniors; people with injuries; and people with invis- ible disabilities. For this particular agency, people who are eligible for priority seating (such as those with disabilities) will be included in a category within the Co-operative Seat- ing area. The blue decals will extend strips outward for the length of the Co-operative Seating area depicting other types of people requiring special seating. On the actual seats themselves, a graphic depiction of a person standing next to a seat will be woven in the material to indicate the action that is expected from anyone sitting in those seats. As with “handicap parking” wheelchair symbols, these graphics are likely to encourage people to keep moving back so as to avoid sitting in what would be perceived as a “reserved” seat (Schepers 2009). Chapter nine contains more information on the agency’s experience and policies. In another mishap in New York City in 1995, a stroller was caught in the doors of a train. To remedy the problem, newer cars and some older retrofitted cars have door sen- sors or closed-circuit monitors to alert the driver and prevent such accidents (Alvarez 1995). The decision about whether to allow boarding of a stroller and whether it must be folded is most often left to the discre- tion of the driver. For example, the stroller policy at Sioux Area Metro in South Dakota states, if “due to the size of the stroller and/or if the stroller is blocking or narrowing the aisle, the driver may deny the passenger a ride” (Sioux Area Metro 2008). Victoria Regional Transit System in Victoria, British Columbia, has set clear priorities for the accessible seating area as follows: 1. Customers who use wheelchairs, scooters, or other mobility aids 2. Elderly customers and customers with disability or mobility issues 3. Customers with strollers 4. Luggage (in the case of double deckers). However, it is still up to the driver to resolve cases of a conflict. The policy directs the driver to inform the customer of the priorities, and if a customer refuses to respect these

31 Some operators, such as County Connection and AC Transit in California and Sioux Area Metro in South Dakota, will allow the driver to lower the lift or ramp to board unfolded strollers upon request by the adult passen- ger. However, Tri Delta Transit in California has gone one step further by removing one set of seats on its 40-ft fixed route buses to create a designated stroller area. “We cur- rently accommodate these passengers by deploying the lift to assist them in boarding the bus,” said Tri Delta Transit Chief Executive Officer Jeanne Krieg. “However, we rec- ognized the difficulty they encounter when required to fold their strollers, and felt there was more we could do to make their experience easier and more enjoyable” (APTA Pas- senger Transport Archive 2006). Tri Delta buses can also accommodate two additional strollers if the wheelchair area is not occupied. A 2008 article in the New York Magazine evaluated nine strollers priced between $150 and $1,000, complete with a “street test” of each (see Figures 19 and 20). Comments on their ease ranged from complimentary (“Buses and sub- ways a snap; stroller is light enough for hip sling. Great for walk-up apartments, public transportation”) to scathing (“On bus ride, hit a passenger in the head with seat and had to ask another rider to fish MetroCard out of pocket. On sub- way, actually accepted an assist from a pregnant woman,” and for another stroller, “Ran over several feet on subway and bus and found climbing stairs unassisted was next to impossible”) (Penn 2008). priorities the driver is to “use discretion as to whether a tran- sit supervisor should be contacted to assist in resolving the issue” (Victoria Regional Transit Commission 2010). Other agencies have adopted policies that relieve the driver of mak- ing decisions about strollers. Two examples are Valley Tran- sit in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Link Transit in Washington State, both of which require that the child be removed from the stroller and the stroller be folded before boarding the bus (Valley Transit 2009). In the province of Ontario, Brantford Transit changed its requirement that strollers be folded and now allows open strollers. However, the policy states, “Over- size strollers will not be allowed on the buses. An oversize stroller is anything larger than a single stroller and includes jogging strollers” (Brantford Transit 2010). Some stroller manufacturers extol the virtues of their sin- gle-seat stroller’s ability, at 20 in. wide, to fit easily through doors. This is an important factor on buses, where the aisles are typically 20 to 23 in. wide. Compounding the problem of strollers on buses is the sale of double-seat strollers for parents with a baby and a toddler and even triple-seat stroll- ers that have accompanied the rise of multiple births. For example, a side-by-side stroller can weigh almost 21 lb and have dimensions 39 in. high by 30 in. wide by 31.5 in. deep. A tandem stroller can weigh more than 55 lb with dimen- sions 52 in. high, 40.25 in. wide, and 25.5 in. deep. Because of the difficulty of maneuvering large strollers and several children, parents have often fought bus operator require- ments that the strollers be folded before boarding. FIGURE 19 Two double strollers: One child positioned above another (left) and a wide stroller for two (right) on a CTA bus in Chicago [courtesy: (left) J. Goldman, Nelson\Nygaard Associates; (right) CTA].

32 included in that definition not only people with disabilities but also older people and those with heavy shopping, bulky luggage, and buggies. Petterssen concluded that “Local bus transport was a lifeline for many parents with young children and accessible buses made it easier to use, reducing isolation and increasing social inclusion” (Petterssen 2009). However, her research found that some of the buses are so well used by buggies that additional parents with strollers cannot board. FIGURE 20 Boarding a bus with different types of strollers in Austin, Texas. Two women remove children and fold strollers at a bus stop as they prepare to board a bus. The woman on the left boards with a collapsed umbrella stroller. The woman on the right boards with a larger folded stroller (courtesy: Capital Metro). In a 2003 TRB report Use of Rear-Facing Position for Common Wheelchairs on Transit Buses, the authors found that “Across Europe, the use of urban buses by persons with strollers is greater than the use by persons in wheelchairs” (Rutenberg and Hemily 2003). Research by Geraldine Pet- terssen in a 2009 article published by the Association for European Transport notes that “Between 35% and 40% of the European Union’s population has reduced mobility” and

33 do not currently consider this to be an issue.” This agency, however, is more of an exception than the rule: a clear major- ity of agencies (27 of 42, or 64%) regarded strollers as being somewhat or very much an issue (Figure 21). Where pro- vided, comments to this question addressed standard agency policies, effectiveness metrics, or accommodations for stroll- ers on a transit vehicle. FIGURE 21 Indicate whether bringing strollers on your vehicles is considered an issue/concern/challenge for your agency. Indeed, the highest-frequency concern among agencies that consider strollers either a very important or somewhat important concern (answered by 25 of 26 agencies, or 93%) was blocking of aisles/egress (Figure 22). As with wheel- chairs and other mobility aids, general vehicle capacity and crowding of passengers were also issues, though not to the same extent (56% and 67%, respectively). One of the few agencies that added a comment to this question noted that problems particularly arise with “passengers boarding with stroller[s] that don’t fold.” FIGURE 22 If you indicated that strollers are a very important or somewhat important concern, why is it a concern for your agency? A comment from a medium-sized agency highlights a problem that is not addressed elsewhere: that of language barriers. The agency indicated that a major concern regard- ing strollers is “communicating with Spanish-speaking moms about correct procedures,” but this could be relevant for populations speaking other languages, as well. In addition, conflicts between buggies and wheelchairs arose for the area designated for these vehicles. As solutions, she cites signage that more clearly denotes what is expected from riders, such as, “Please give up this space for a wheelchair user,” and provision of additional space. Petterssen quotes from the Good Practice Guide published by Bus Users UK as a trend worth emulating: The tendency by some operators to move away from maximum seating capacity and provide circulating space in the forward part of a bus is welcome, and proper luggage and buggy space, together with obvious and adequate handholds, further assist comfortable movement inside the bus. Beyond these studies in the European Union, this litera- ture search focused on individual transit operations in Scan- dinavia to illustrate the variety of approaches for handling strollers. In Scandinavian countries, prams and pushchairs (i.e., baby buggies and strollers) are directed by policy to the bus luggage area, which has room for two prams or two wheelchairs. If the bus does not have such an area or if it is full, the parent and child must wait for the next bus. Most transit operators require that the pram or stroller be braked, but in Trondheim, Norway, the child’s vehicle can be attached to the “mounting strap” (e.g., wheelchair tie-down) if it does not have brakes (Team Trafikk 2010). Many Scan- dinavian city bus systems do not allow prams and strollers that are used to carry goods or luggage instead of children, although Stockholm, Sweden, specifically allows prams for transporting luggage (Stockholm Public Transport 2010). So too does Aarhus, Denmark; however, in Aarhus, prams with children are free but prams used to carry luggage require a separate ticket (Midttrafik 2010). In Helsinki, Finland, buses and trams are equipped with a special pram button by the door, which when pushed makes the doors stay open longer (Helsinki Region Transport 2010). Oslo, Norway, has removed poles by the middle door on its subway system to provide more room, particularly for entry by “twin car- riages” (Ruter 2010). SURVEY RESULTS Challenges and Concerns Strollers are a more contentious issue than wheelchairs and other large mobility aids. Whereas policies addressing the former items are primarily governed by federal regulation (the ADA in the United States) or some provincial laws in Canada, stroller policies have developed in an ad hoc man- ner and face increased scrutiny. A few agencies did not consider strollers to be an operations concern: one agency that marked “not an issue” clarified its response, stating that “many of our customers use strollers and we are comfortable with the approach we take with respect to strollers, so [we]

34 TABLE 18 DOES THE POLICY REQUIRE THAT STROLLERS BE FOLDABLE/COLLAPSIBLE? Yes 63% (19) No 37% (11) n = 30. The policies vary with regard to level of comprehensive- ness and enforcement. A couple of agencies indicated the requirements are not published but are understood by agency staff. For example, Greater Glens Falls Transit notes that “for practical purposes many strollers need to be folded in order to keep the aisle clear.” TriMet’s policy is not explicit, but suggests that stroll- ers “be collapsed if possible, so that aisles and doors are not blocked.” Tri Delta Transit, an agency that offers a stroller area on vehicles, noted that strollers do not need to be folded unless the stroller area is full and the wheelchair securement area is also full. Brandon Transit does not explicitly require strollers to be folded but commented that “from time to time, strollers may need to be folded, depending on the capacity of the bus.” The primary comment from transit agencies regard- ing their basis for requiring folding or collapsible strollers is to keep the aisles clear, and according to one agency, stroll- ers “must not present a hazard to other passengers.” As shown in Table 19, 23 of 31 agencies (74%) require that the baby/child be removed from the stroller on buses (four of the agencies that do not require foldable/collapsible strollers nevertheless require strollers to be empty on buses). One transit system manager highlighted the importance of requiring children to be removed from the stroller on the bus by recounting an incident when a child in a stroller hit a bus windshield during an accident. TABLE 19 DOES THE AGENCY REQUIRE THAT THE BABY/CHILD BE REMOVED FROM THE STROLLER ON THE VEHICLE? Yes 74% (23) No 26% (8) n = 31. Of the 23 agencies that require a child to be removed from a stroller on a bus, seven (23%) indicated that a child must be seated in the parent’s lap. The other 16 agencies either allow the child in a parent’s lap or on a seat, or do not specify where the child must be seated. Several agency representa- tives were asked about safety issues in the development of their stroller policies, but few had any data about specific incidents to provide the basis for agency’s requirements about where children could be seated. Although requiring Overview of Agency Policies Of the 40 agencies responding on this topic, 31 (78%) have a stroller policy in place. The other nine agencies (22%) have no formal policy regarding strollers, although several of them indicated that their agency considered implement- ing a stroller policy but did not carry it forward owing to monitoring and enforcement concerns or agency boards not supporting staff recommendations. For example, three agen- cies proposed policies that only folding/collapsible strollers could be brought on board vehicles but did not implement the policies based on the potential inconvenience to passen- gers (who might need to purchase new strollers for transit rides) or difficulty of ensuring that drivers would enforce the policy. Although large strollers seem to be a new phenomenon for many transit agencies, several of the agencies surveyed have had stroller policies in place since the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the largest agencies were unaware of when their stroller policy was implemented, suggesting that it they had been in effect for a long time (among the agencies surveyed, the oldest known stroller policy dates from 1976). Smaller agencies, many of which are newer than the large agencies, have stroller policies that were primarily developed in the 2000s. Many agencies are reviewing their stroller poli- cies, and some agencies, such as OC Transpo, updated their stroller policy as recently as 2010. Stroller Size Limits and Design Requirements Most of the policies do not limit the size of strollers, and even those that do have only rough size guidelines, with no agency providing specific measurements/dimensions. Of the 31 agencies with policies in place, four (13%) limit the size of strollers (Table 17). New York MTA’s policy states that small folded strollers are permitted, although no specific dimen- sions are provided. BC Transit’s policy limits the size based on whether the stroller can be brought inside the vehicle: it must fit through the entrance, must fit in the securement position, and must not block the aisle. TABLE 17 THE POLICY LIMITS THE SIZE OF STROLLERS Yes 13% (4) No 87% (27) n = 31. A majority of the agencies surveyed require that strollers be foldable or collapsible (Table 18). Nineteen of 30 agen- cies (63%) said that on board their buses, the child must be removed and strollers must be folded.

35 FIGURE 24 Two unfolded strollers on a CTA (Chicago) rail car fill the center aisle (courtesy: CTA). Space Allocation and Limits on the Number of Strollers Although no agency has an official policy that limits the number of strollers allowed on a vehicle at one time, five agencies with stroller policies offered the caveat that stroll- ers could be limited depending on the passenger load on a vehicle. No agency limits the hours that strollers may be brought aboard vehicles. Only two of the 31 agencies have stated limits on the number of strollers allowed on a vehicle when wheelchairs are secured in the vehicle. As a matter of practicality, how- ever, a few agencies acknowledge that they informally limit strollers when wheelchairs are in spaces that could other- wise be used by strollers. Four of the agencies without limits on strollers when wheelchairs are aboard ask that strollers be placed in the wheelchair area on the vehicle. Agencies were asked whether their policies require or request strollers to be placed in a specific location on the vehicle. Twenty of 31 agencies (65%) indicated strollers must be kept in a specific location (Table 20). Figure 25 shows that the largest group of agencies requires strollers to be kept in the wheelchair area or out of aisles and doorways. TABLE 20 MUST STROLLERS BE KEPT IN A SPECIFIC LOCATION? Yes 65% (20) No 35% (11) n = 31. a child to be removed from the stroller may be the predomi- nant policy, several agencies said enforcement of this policy is a challenge. One representative of a medium-sized agency noted that rules requiring children to be removed from the stroller are listed in the information guide, on the website, and are posted on the buses, but drivers rarely enforce the rule, and “parents removing the child from the stroller is the exception rather than the norm.” Seven agencies do not require children to be removed from the stroller on a bus. Of these, only two agencies require that children be belted in the stroller and wheels be locked on the stroller. Of the 12 agencies that operate both rail and bus service, only five indicated that they have the same policies on buses and rail cars. Six agencies that require strollers to be folded/ collapsed on buses do not have the same requirements on their rail vehicles. For example, TriMet in Portland requires collaps- ible strollers to be folded on buses, but children may remain in strollers on rail cars. Likewise, MARTA, WMATA, NJ Tran- sit, Capital Metro, and New York City MTA require strollers to be folded on buses, but do not have the same requirement on their rail vehicles (see Figures 23 and 24). FIGURE 23 Small umbrella stroller on a New York City MTA subway train (courtesy: J. Goldman, Nelson\Nygaard Associates).

36 • Drivers are not consistent with regard to enforcement of the policies. • Most of the conflicts that arise among passengers are the result of inconsistent enforcement by drivers. • Policies are vague and rely on the operator’s discretion in individual circumstances. Two medium-sized agencies indicated that “high num- bers of strollers on some routes creates delay” and “strollers are a significant source of frustration for both drivers and passengers.” All agencies, regardless of whether they had a stroller policy in place, were asked whether restrictions regarding strollers were considered but not implemented (Table 21). TABLE 21 RESTRICTIONS ON STROLLERS CONSIDERED BUT NOT IMPLEMENTED Yes 18% (7) No 82% (33) n = 40. Three of the agencies said that conflicts with wheel- chairs were a major concern in considering restrictions on large strollers. In all three cases, the agencies give prior- ity to wheelchairs but allow riders to park strollers in the areas reserved for wheelchairs when space is available. One agency said staff had extensive discussions about alterna- tives, ranging from strict enforcement of the existing policy to removal of seats for strollers and storage of large objects. Ultimately, the agency plans to require perimeter seating (all seats facing the aisle) when placing its next bus order. ONE AGENCY’S EXPERIENCE: TRI DELTA TRANSIT, ANTIOCH, CALIFORNIA—CREATING SPACE ON BUSES FOR STROLLERS Tri Delta Transit’s removal of a two-passenger seat to accom- modate strollers on its fixed route buses is a story of detective work to solve a high and growing number of late trips on specific routes and complaints about rude drivers. Tri Delta is officially Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, which describes the area in the California county where it is located. The investigation began with operator reports indicating “many lift deployments” unsupported by the number of paid disabled fares. In addition, the late trips did not match what the staff knew about the time required to board a mobil- ity device. As the chief executive officer (CEO) said in an April 13, 2010, e-mail, “Basically: it just didn’t seem right (sorry—gut instinct isn’t very scientific…).” Staff started spending more time on the offending routes to watch what was happening and noticed a very high number of strollers. The CEO noted, FIGURE 25 Where are strollers required to be placed (n = 19)? None of the agencies charges a fee for strollers, requires stroller inspection or approval, or issues a stroller permit. Driver Assistance Only one of the agencies indicated that drivers are requested not to provide assistance. Sixteen of the 31 agencies (52%) with a stroller policy in place indicated that their policy does not provide direction regarding driver assistance. One respondent indicated that “most drivers are eager to help, but that they are not required to do so.” One agency stated that “no assistance is required for strollers”; another agency said drivers are “only required to assist with wheelchair stroll- ers.” Twelve of 31 agencies (39%) said that drivers may pro- vide assistance if requested. As shown in Figure 26, where drivers offer assistance, that assistance generally includes extending a ramp or lift or providing help to the passenger boarding or alighting with the stroller. FIGURE 26 Strollers: Which of the following types of assistance may drivers provide (buses) (n =12)? Stroller Policy Effectiveness Most agencies responded that their stroller polices are “effec- tive.” Several agencies reported having few problems, and some agencies said they have few strollers. Agencies that indicated challenges with strollers or their stroller policy noted the following are primary problems:

37 The issue wasn’t getting the strollers on and off the bus— it was our rule that the strollers must be folded and placed out of the aisle. Some of the folding sessions took several minutes, especially if there were multiple children and/ or lots of packages. Being a former driver of a double stroller I could completely relate to the issues with being forced to unload and fold (J. Krieg, Tri Delta Transit, personal communication, Apr. 13, 2010). Operators were getting into arguments with passengers who did not want to take their children out of the stroller to fold it, and mothers with strollers were complaining about rude drivers. There were also language barriers between the drivers and some Hispanic parents. In addition, other passengers who witnessed the stroller-related events com- plained, as did passengers whose buses were late. A committee of operators, safety/training, maintenance, planning, and marketing employees met and recommended that strollers could remain unfolded in the wheelchair area as long as there were no wheelchairs on board. If a wheelchair passenger boarded, the stroller had to move. Overall, the CEO reports that this recommendation worked very well. However, a few incidents of disagreements between people in wheelchairs and parents with strollers still did occur. In 2005, Tri Delta staff decided to remove one two- passenger seat from a fixed route bus and label the area for strollers. After a four-month demonstration period, in March 2006 one seat was unbolted from all 40-ft fixed route buses used on Tri Delta Transit’s 14 local routes (Figure 27). A static cling transparent sticker is affixed to the window marking the area for strollers (Figure 28). No seat removal was necessary for the commuter coaches and paratransit vehicles. Although initially there was con- cern from the committee about decreased seating capacity during crush-load periods, passengers actually have more room for standing when the bus is crowded and no strollers are on board. FIGURE 28 Stroller seating area window stickers (courtesy: Tri Delta Transit). Passenger comments at community meetings have been very positive. Based on feedback, a special stop request button has been added in the stroller area. When the stop request but- ton in this area is activated, the operator can position the bus to safely deploy the mobility lift for the stroller at the next stop. In recognition of this community success story, one of the juris- dictions in the service area has honored Tri Delta Transit with a Transportation Equity and Access to Healthcare award. FIGURE 27 Stroller seating area on Tri Delta Transit bus (courtesy: Tri Delta Transit).

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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 88: Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains documents the state of the practice of transit agencies managing capacity on vehicles carrying customers with large items. The synthesis also includes a discussion of vehicle designs to accommodate these various large items.

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