Metro outlines training, station fixes to improve BRT access for riders with disabilities

Metro Transit on July 9, 2025, told the Madison Transportation Commission it is expanding operator refresher training, doing station retrofit work and planning public outreach to reduce platform gaps and improve boarding for riders with disabilities.

Commission members were told why the work matters: narrow gaps and improperly deployed bridge plates can prevent wheelchair users and others from boarding at left‑side Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) platforms, and drivers currently rely on informal visual cues to line buses up with station openings.

Jesse Stammer, chief people officer at Metro, said the agency convened a cross‑department safety team and conducted a station safety blitz on June 4. "That team came together and we did what we called a safety blitz," Stammer said, describing observations at several BRT platforms and the evidence used to design refresher training. Metro staff said they observed platform operations at Westfield, Broadway, High Point, Midvale, Rosa, First Street and Patterson for roughly an hour apiece during morning rush hours.

Metro staff described the tools and limitations drivers currently use to reduce gaps. Drivers are trained to line up using a small reflective…