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When was the last time you took an intercity bus or a charter motor coach tour? If the answer is never, then you’re not alone. According to a 2002 Bureau of Transportation Statistics study, less than 5 percent of Americans, with or without disabilities, who travel long-distance use either mode of transport. But given the recent hassles with air travel, maybe it’s time to reconsider ground transport, at least for shorter trips.

For one thing, you’ll be surprised how roomy intercity buses are compared to the cheap seats on airplanes. There’s also no security line; no hard, narrow aisle chair; and you have the choice of staying in your own wheelchair or transferring to a seat. The price is also right, with many companies offering a free or discounted companion fare to individuals who need assistance during travel.

To ensure a trouble-free and accessible trip, you do, however, need to know your rights and obligations under the ADA. The Department of Transportation (DOT) Final Rule for Over-The-Road Buses (OTRB) only came fully into effect in October 2002 and has differing requirements based on the size of the bus company and the type of service provided—fixed route scheduled service, charter/tour service, or a mixture of the two.

At present, if you need a lift-equipped bus, you must give 48-hour advance notice. In return, the carrier is supposed to send you a written confirmation. Not until 2012, when the fleets of large, fixed-route carriers like Greyhound are required to become 100 percent lift-equipped, will advance notice finally be eliminated for the bulk of accessible trips. Even now, however, “if the request is made closer to the time of travel, the operator must make a reasonable effort to locate an accessible bus …” If you’re traveling with a group and someone else arranges the charter, then call the organizer again prior to the 48-hour deadline to confirm that the lift-equipped coach was indeed requested.

Under the OTRB rule, an “accessible” bus is required to have a lift and at least two wheelchair securement locations. Lifts must accommodate not only wheelchairs but also “persons using walkers, crutches, canes, and braces or who otherwise have difficulty using steps.” Drivers may not be aware of the latter requirement, so you may need to insist on your right to use the lift if you don’t have a wheelchair or scooter.

While accessible onboard toilets are not mandated, assistance must be provided to enable passengers with disabilities to leave and return to the bus during rest stops like everyone else. On express runs of three hours or more without a rest stop, if a passenger with a disability is unable to use the inaccessible restroom onboard and requests an unscheduled rest stop, the operator “must make a good faith effort” to comply.

Small carriers (i.e., those with less than $7.7 million in gross annual operating revenues) offering fixed-route service “can choose to provide equivalent service to passengers with disabilities.” However, the alternative vehicle provided, typically a mini-bus or van, “must permit a wheelchair user to travel in his or her own mobility aid.”

Although accessible motor coaches are now in plentiful supply all over the U.S., you may still encounter bus companies that say they do not provide lift-equipped service or tell you to call another carrier. Should this occur, go to the DOT website (www.dot.gov) and file a complaint. Thanks to such complaints and resulting enforcement actions by the DOT, even the Chinese bus companies in New York City, like Eastern and Fung Wa, are now investing in accessible coaches.