My organization runs programs for people with disabilities. We don’t own vehicles, so we charter motorcoaches from a local company for our events. Does the charter company have to provide an accessible motorcoach?

If you are contacting a large or small motorcoach company to charter a vehicle for a group, the company must provide service in an accessible motorcoach to passengers with disabilities on a 48-hour advance-notice basis.

When contacting a motorcoach company that provides tours for individuals, it is important to know the company’s reservation policy so that you can make a timely request for accessible service.

The company must provide service in an accessible motorcoach to passengers with disabilities on a 48-hour advance notice basis. The company does not have to fundamentally alter its normal reservation practices or displace other passengers in order to provide accessible service.

Here’s an example: A motorcoach company requires all passengers to reserve space on the coach three months before the trip date, and this requirement applies to passengers with disabilities on the same basis as other passengers. In this case, if you use a wheelchair, you would have to request an accessible coach at the time you made the reservation at least three months before the trip date. If you wait and request space on the trip in an accessible motorcoach 48 hours before the trip date, the company could refuse your request, because all passengers were required to make reservations three months before the trip date.

Some motorcoach companies are classified as a small mixed-service company under the ADA regulations. This type of company provides both fixed-route and charter/tour service and uses no more than 25 percent of its coaches for fixed-route service. 

The company must provide service in an accessible motorcoach with 48 hours advance notice for all of its trips.

Regardless of its size or type, the motorocach company must charge your organization the same price for accessible and inaccessible coaches. Charging a group a higher price for an accessible vehicle constitutes discrimination.