Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SPECIAL NEEDS TIPS
1. UNLIMITED FREE PARKING
Nowhere provides more advanced facilities for the disabled than San Francisco. There
are specially marked reserved spots for disabled parking, usually with a blue-and-
white wheelchair sign and a blue curb. Often there's a blue-and-white wheelchair
stenciled on the pavement, too. There's no charge for parking, either in these spaces
or any other, as long as you display a disabled placard.
Department of Motor Ve-
hicles • 1377 Fell Street • 800 777 0133
Google Map
2. SPECIAL PRICES
In addition to free parking for the disabled, all Bay Area transit companies offer dis-
counted fares for disabled passengers, including BART, Muni, AC Transit, and Golden
Gate Transit. National parks issue special passes for the disabled that entitle them and
passengers in the same vehicle to enter free. In addition, many attractions offer re-
duced entrance fees to the disabled.
BART Passes Office • 510 464 7133
3. REQUIRED ACCESSIBILITY
The San Francisco Visitor Information Center (for further details see
Tourist Offices
)
publishes a free guide that indicates which hotels comply with the American Disabil-
ities Act. However, if you want to know the specifics, you should call in advance and
ask a few pointed questions. In general, the newer the hotel, the more it is geared up
to meet special needs.
4. “KNEELING” BUSES
Only some of the Muni city buses have this feature, whereby the bus can be hydraul-
ically lowered, allowing wheelchair-bound people to board, and then be secured in
a special part of the bus. The “Muni Access Guide” will give you pointers on how to
make the most of the system, and it is free from Muni Accessible Services.
