I thought this was a great quote that really summarizes one of my major frustrations with accessible transport. The article is called, Riding Lessons. From disability issue webzine "Ragged Edge":

CTA whines and complains about the soaring cost of paratransit while doing nothing to make their only alternative, the mainline system, accessible. At the same time Metra proves that if they'd build a truly accessible system, our people would willingly ride it, at least for the non-snowy months of the year. If they'd build it, we would come.

Paratransit, for those of you who are blissfully unaware, is public transportation's weasel-way out of making the subway, train, and busses completely accessible. You call at least 24 hours in advance, pay about triple what a trip on the T costs (not much, and it'd be worth it if the system ran smoothly, but it doesn't), and get scheduled for a ride that will invariably be at least 30 minutes late unless you are a bit late getting to the pickup point, in which case they'll call you a no-show. Three strikes and you're out of the paratransit system. And that's if they even show up - I've been ditched before, with not so much as a courtesy call.

The problem is that paratransit is inherently flawed. It's used by a minority of the population, so problems get swept under the rug; it's consistently late for a variety of inexcusable reasons I won't go into at the moment (and that's if they even show up); the drivers are not as well trained as they should be (they know how to use their equipment, but their sensitivity is often lacking); and they don't even have the courtesy to contact you when they *know* your ride will be late or a no-show. Even if things ran smoothly, it'd be imperfect; I can bring *one* companion with me, so there goes a trip out to the city with my friends (scheduling issues aside - paratransit is so inconsistently slow, it's insane). You have to book 24 hours in advance, so there goes any hope of spontaneity. And it keeps disabled away from the majority population, which causes problems of it's own ... the "diversity benefits the majority" argument has been made enough times that I won't repeat it here.

It's all the problems of "separate but equal", and it would actually cost less money in the long run to do it right in the first place rather than paying for paratransit. Didn't we deal with this in "Brown v. Board of Education"?

I don't agree with everything Ragged Edge publishes - most notably, I'm pro-physician assisted suicide (similar to euthanasia) in certain cases, and that's an issue on which I disagree with many disability advocates - but it's a great publication. Google for it and take a look.