UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies

Thirty years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities still face significant barriers to transportation access. Nearly one-third of disabled people describe inadequate transportation as a problem in their lives, and many major transportation systems have large accessibility gaps. In the San Francisco Bay Area, home to Silicon Valley and the 2010s tech boom, new mobility services are particularly widespread. TNCs, for example, make up approximately 25% of peak-hour traffic in Downtown San Francisco. San Francisco also has a well-established bike-share system and was among the first cities in the country to see hundreds of scooters on its streets and sidewalks. In light of the prevalence of these services and the significant transportation needs of the disability community, this project examines perceptions of new mobility among disabled people in San Francisco and makes recommendations for improving transportation access for people with disabilities.