For students in wheelchairs, riding a bus on the Huskie Line can be a frustrating experience, as some drivers do not know how to use the bus lifts.

“We do not have many passengers who are on wheelchairs, and drivers can forget to use the lifts,” said Charles Battista, Huskie Line general manager.

Also, some buses are old and the lifts tend to malfunction, Battista said.

“It concerns me that drivers do not know how to use the bus lifts,” said John Roach, Huskie Line safety and training coordinator.

If drivers do not know how to use the lifts, they can go through a refresher training course. The driver can also be disciplined for not using the locks, Roach said.

There are other alternatives to those in wheelchairs besides Huskie Buses.

The Freedom Mobile has special buses for people with disabilities, Battista said, and these are more appropriate for wheelchairs.

The Freedom Mobile is run by the Huskie Line, but the NIU Center for Accessibility Resources makes them available to students, said Nancy Kasinski, director of CAAR.

CAAR, however, cannot provide services such as the Freedom Mobile to those with temporary disabilities. The office only provides services to help students with permanent disabilities who have documentation on file at the university, Kasinski said.

“We work with a wide range of disabilities,” Kasinski said.

CAAR currently helps about 385 students who are on a list with approved medical documentation, Kasinski said.

A car accident that happened about a year and a half ago caused junior communication major Samuel Engwall to have some paralysis in his legs. He uses a wheel chair or crutches to get around campus. Engwall transferred to NIU from a community college.

“I was amazed how NIU accommodates people with disabilities,” Engwall said. The CAAR office does a really good job helping people around, he said.

Public transportation authorities may not discriminate against people with disabilities in the provision of their services, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II: Public Transportation.

The act also states public transportation authorities must comply with requirements for accessibility in newly purchased vehicles, make good faith efforts to purchase or lease accessible used buses, remanufacture buses in an accessible manner, and, unless it would result in an undue burden, provide paratransit where they operate fixed-route bus or rail systems.

Huskie Line drivers must undergo 55 hours of required training which includes several written tests and a behind-the-wheel examination. Drivers also must carry a Commercial Driver’s License, Roach said.

If there are any problems with the buses, Huskie Line supervisors are always prompt to help, Roach said.