Fact Sheet: Transportation

People Who Are Blind or Low Vision Need More and Better Transportation Options

Everyone needs good transportation to get to work, visit family and friends, attend medical appointments, and do the things they enjoy. But people who are blind or have low vision, who can’t drive their own cars, may not always have convenient transportation choices.

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has conducted a variety of studies that revealed barriers to transportation for people who are blind or have low vision. AFB also worked with Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) on a study to understand the use of guide dogs, which showed some challenges for people traveling with guide dogs.

What AFB’s Research Found

AFB’s Project VISITOR (Visually Impaired Seniors’ Independent Travel Opportunities and Resources) study showed there’s a lack of convenient options, especially in rural areas. Over 40% of urban and more than 65% of rural respondents said that not driving often prevented them from doing things they wanted to do. People living in rural areas had fewer options, faced more barriers, and traveled less often than people in urban areas.

Participants in Project VISITOR reported a number of challenges related to transportation, including not living near bus or subway service. Respondents who use paratransit, a service for people with disabilities who can’t use traditional transportation options, reported specific issues.

Rides only being available during limited hours.
Rides taking too long.
Needing to schedule rides in advance.
Inflexible scheduling.

Rideshare services aren’t always a good option.

Although rideshare services like Uber and Lyft can be booked on demand and may have a wider coverage area, they are more expensive than other options and require a smartphone.
In the Project VISITOR study, some respondents used rideshare but said drivers did not help them with navigating from the vehicle to their specific destination.

Lack of walkable neighborhoods is another barrier, reported both in AFB’s study with GDB and Project VISITOR.

Some respondents in the guide dog study lived in places where there were few sidewalks or walking to their destination was difficult. This is especially challenging for guide dog users, who need to regularly walk with their dogs to give the dogs exercise and keep up their training.
Two participants in the same study said they wanted to use a guide dog but could not because their neighborhood was not walkable.
Some participants in Project VISITOR said they would consider moving to an area with better sidewalks.

Discrimination against guide dog users presents another limitation, which is not only stressful and inconvenient, but can cause people to miss important appointments.

Legally, rideshare drivers must let passengers bring their service animals with them. But in the guide dogs study, almost all focus group participants who used guide dogs had at least one experience where a rideshare driver refused to transport them with their guide dog.
Some guide dog users said they felt reluctant to travel with their dogs because they feared discrimination.

Transportation barriers increased for people who are blind or low vision during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to two studies AFB conducted during that time: Flatten Inaccessibility and Journey Forward.

Many participants said public transit routes near them were reduced or stopped.
Rideshare services were harder to get or more expensive.
Drive-up COVID testing and vaccination services were impossible to access without a car.

When asked where they would go if they had transportation to go anywhere whenever they wanted to, several respondents in the Project VISITOR study wished they could go to the beach, hiking or to the mountains, where public transportation does not go. As one person said, if given the chance, they would “travel on my schedule, not someone else’s!”