Most provisions of the Air Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) are now in force. However, given the severe disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CTA will delay a handful of targeted provisions until December 31, 2020.

The CTA has consolidated its various accessibility instruments – six voluntary codes and two regulations – to create a single, robust, legally binding Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR).

These regulations reflect input received by the CTA from persons with disabilities, industry, members of the CTA's Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the general public. A first phase of consultations was held for a two-year period between 2016 and 2018, and a 30-day comment period was held following the publication of draft regulations on March 9, 2019.

The ATPDR cover all modes of transport under our jurisdiction – air, and interprovincial and international passenger rail, bus, and ferry – as well as security and border screening. The accessibility requirements in the ATPDR will be enforceable by administrative monetary penalties.

Transportation service providers are required to start complying with most of the new provisions as of June 25, 2020. More complex technical requirements will come into force one or two years later to ensure that they can be smoothly implemented.

Consultations on a second phase of regulatory reform related to accessible transportation are now underway. This consultation process will focus on: