https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118769902 Transportation Research Record 1–10 © National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Board 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0361198118769902 journals.sagepub.com/home/trr TRR JOURNAL OF THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD Article Access to fixed-route public transit options contributes to increased mobility. For transit services to be used effectively and fully by persons with disabilities, infrastructure and built environment components, that is, pathways to transit, must permit individuals to reach stops and stations without diffi- culty. Transit agencies have an incentive to promote the use of fixed-route services by persons with disabilities, as these services are generally less costly to operate than Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services, and increased ridership usually contributes to more cost-effective operations. This research uses case studies to explore efforts and promising practices undertaken by U.S. transit agencies to improve the pathways to transit. Transit agencies and their partners have made significant progress since the 1990 passage of the ADA in increasing system accessibility, with the U.S. public transit vehicle fleet now reaching close to total accessibility for those using wheelchairs and with other disabilities (1). However, less progress has been made on pathway to transit accessibility— even though both agencies and riders benefit when exem- plary pathways exist permitting riders to reach stations and stops more easily. Transit agencies find themselves in a dif- ficult position though, as they often cannot make these improvements themselves, but must collaborate with others (governments, agencies, private property owners, etc.) to improve the built environment beyond their properties. To this end, many transit agencies nationwide have worked with local governments and private partners, as well as made changes to their policies and procedures in an effort to improve the physical connections that allow persons with disabilities and others to access regularly scheduled transit options. This paper shares successful strategies utilized by select U.S. transit agencies in their pursuit of initiatives to improve 769902TRR XX X 10.1177/0361198118769902Transportation Research RecordDiPetrillo et al research-article 2018 1 Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 2 Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 3 University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 4 Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education, UWA School of Design, University of Western Australia (M433), Crawley (Perth), Australia 5 Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 6 School of Architecture & Community Design, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL Corresponding Author: Address correspondence to Stephanie DiPetrillo: sdipetrillo@ejb.rutgers.edu Improving Pathways to Fixed-Route Transit: Transit Agency Practices to Expand Access for All Users Stephanie DiPetrillo 1 , Andrea Lubin 1 , Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris 2 , Carla Salehian 3 , Stephen C. Gibson 4 , Kristine M. Williams 5 , and Theodore Trent Green 6 Abstract This paper discusses challenges to and promising practices for making infrastructure improvements that enable persons with disabilities and all system users to safely reach public transportation stations and stops to access fixed-route transit options. Although tremendous strides have been made in national transit system accessibility since the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, far less progress has been made in ensuring that pathways to accessible transit stations and stops are in place. This reality poses a critical mobility concern as the nation’s aging population continues to rise, as does the percentage of the population with disability who may need to utilize public transit to access life enhancing and sustaining services. The study uses a national survey and targeted case study analysis to identify effective best practices for facilitating improvement to pathways to transit. These include approaching cost and funding creatively; pursuing partnerships; initiating and maintaining open communication and collaboration; exploring the use of data and new technologies to reduce cost and improve outcomes; and thinking holistically to identify and address pathway to transit improvement needs. Useful to both practitioners and policy- makers, the findings presented offer insights on how agencies can successfully achieve infrastructure improvements that extend beyond their own facilities and that allow people with disabilities and others to more easily access public transit.