Following is a brief summary of the ADA regulations regarding service animals and are the standards to be followed by BTS employees.
Created October 2009 – Download PDF of the Service Animal Policy
ADA Business BRIEF: Service Animal
Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.
Under the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public, including restaurants, hotels, taxis and shuttles, grocery and department stores, hospitals and medical offices, theaters, health clubs, parks, and zoos.
- Employees may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person’s disability.
- People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be charged extra fees, isoloated from other customers, or treated less favorably than other customers.
- A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the bus or building unless: (1) the animal is out of control and the animal’s owner does not take effective action to control it (for example, a dog that barks repeatedly) or (2) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
- In these cases, the person with the disability should be given the option to obtain services without having the animal present.
- Allergies and fear of animals are generally not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people with service animals.
In Summary:
- Service animals must be allowed on our buses
- The driver can ask if the animal is a service animal.
- The animal can be banned from the bus if it is out of control and the owner is not taking effective action.
- The animal can be banned from the bus if it poses a direct threat to the health or safety of other passengers or our employees.
- If the service animal is banned from the bus, the owner is still allowed to ride, unless they violate our passenger conduct policies.
- The animal cannot be denied access to our bus if our employee or other passengers are allergic to it, or scared of it.
- If you have concerns related to a service animal, please alert base.