U.S. Attorney’s Office Resolves ADA Compliance Review of the University of Michigan’s Mcity Driverless Shuttle Program

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has resolved its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance review of the University of Michigan’s Mcity Driverless Shuttle Program, First Assistant United States Attorney Saima Mohsin announced today. The United States Attorney’s Office initiated the compliance review of the Program, which was touted as the first of its kind to focus on consumer research, based upon media reports that the Program featured vehicles without accessible features.

“The ADA was enacted to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate, assuring equality of opportunity, full participation, and independent living to individuals who have disabilities,” said Mohsin. “Driverless vehicles and transportation systems have enormous potential to assure self-sufficiency for individuals who have disabilities. It is critical that individuals who have disabilities remain a priority for developers of this technology. I commend the University of Michigan for making this commitment to individuals who have disabilities.”

The Mcity Driverless Shuttles operate on a fixed route at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex. The ADA requires that vehicles purchased or leased for a fixed route system by public entities, such as the University of Michigan, must be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs.  A public entity’s failure to purchase or lease a new vehicle for a fixed route system with accessible features is a form of discrimination under the ADA. Through a Letter of Resolution, the University has agreed that any future vehicles purchased or leased for the Mcity Driverless Shuttle program will be equipped with accessible features. Additionally, the University has agreed to convene a research group to evaluate the accessibility of autonomous transportation services to individuals who have disabilities.

The Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan was established in 2010 with the mission of prioritizing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, including a copy of the Letter of Resolution with the University of Michigan, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/programs/civil-rights. ADA complaints may be emailed to usamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov or by contacting the U.S. Attorney's Office’s civil rights hotline at (313) 226-9151.

More information about the ADA is available at the Justice Department’s toll free ADA Information line at (800) 514 0301 or (800) 514 0383 (TTY) and on the ADA website at www.ada.gov.