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 star on the platform and two yellow guide markers; buses have a left‑side camera view at the dash but that camera feed does not record. Brian (last name not specified), a Metro operations presenter, said the agency flags any platform gap "more than 4 inches" through field notices so drivers and maintenance crews can address it. Metro also uses three‑inch yellow curb bumpers to let tires “rub up” close to platforms without damaging buses, the presentation said.

Staff described technical and short‑term fixes under consideration. Metro is testing higher‑contrast markings and signage to make the platform edge, detectable warning field and the adjacent red BRT lane visually distinct; possible fixes include painting a white or yellow stripe on the platform edge or changing pavement immediately outside the platform so the red bus lane no longer visually blends with the warning field. Staff also proposed a thicker yellow scribe and "watch your step" signage to call out a step where platform height (about 13.5 inches) and sidewalk elevation (about 6 inches) create a vertical step at some side‑running stations.

On communication tools, Metro said drivers currently cannot talk through the glass panels that separate many left‑side stations from drivers. Staff proposed testing a push‑button signal or timed light at some stations so a passenger can indicate a ramp is needed; Metro said it will evaluate whether to add a separate signal for "someone wants to be picked up." "The instruction has kind of been pushed to drivers ... that if there is anybody at the station ... to stop," Brian said, explaining current guidance to operators.

Training and outreach are next steps. Metro said refresher training for all frontline operators will run through the summer and that operators who do not normally operate BRT routes are taking practice shifts. Jesse Stammer said the agency is producing videos and will promote a new self‑securement wheelchair device that lets some wheelchair users secure themselves with minimal driver assistance. Mike (customer service manager Michael Dentice) announced planned July pop‑up training events at Junction and Watts, the Capitol Square and an east‑side location, with a larger August program for the UW campus tentatively labeled "Badgers on Buses." Metro said marketing materials for the July events would be released the next day.

Commission members pressed on privacy, operations and signage. Commissioner Lynn Olsen asked whether the door cameras record; Metro staff responded that the specific rear‑door camera drivers view does not record, though other bus cameras do record overall vehicle activity. Alderman Sean O'Brien and other commissioners asked about adding platform lights and making drivers more able to see passengers; Metro said it would examine small rearrangements around glass panels and consider an on‑platform signal to prompt a ramp deployment.

The presentation included rider‑observed suggestions gathered on a test ride with disability advocates: clearer visual contrast between bus lane and platform edge, signage encouraging passengers to clear the bridge plate when deployed, promoting self‑securement options and adding destination names to onboard announcements. Metro said it will return to the commission with updates and that staff are available for follow‑up meetings and additional focus groups with riders with disabilities.

Metro staff provided no formal action for the commission to vote on at this meeting; presenters said the work will continue and that they expect to report back when training and pilot changes advance.