About

Mission

The RERC on Accessible Public Transportation will research and develop methods to empower consumers, manufacturers, and service providers in the design and evaluation of accessible transportation equipment, information services, and physical environments.

History

In the Fall of 2008, the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and the IDeA Center at the University at Buffalo collaborated to obtain the RERC on Accessible Public Transportation (RERC-APT). This cycle of the RERC-APT conducted research to address some timely and critical human factors issues in boarding vehicles and develop key accessible information technology resources for improving usability of transit systems for all riders while also facilitating management and maintenance. The RERC-APT was refunded in fall 2013 and brought experts in information technology, ergonomics research and universal design together to further advance the practice of accessible transportation. Industry partners in this project included Gillig Corporation, Tiramisu Transit, LLC, NFTA, and LINC-Design, LLC. It was recently announced that the 10-year partnership between the two universities has been extended for another five years (2018-2023).

Funding

This Center is currently funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90REGE0007). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It was previously funded by NIDILRR (grant number 90RE5011-01-00) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (grant numbers H133E080019 and H133E130004) within the Department of Education. No endorsement should be assumed by NIDILRR or the United States Government for the content contained on this website.