WASHINGTON Over-the-road bus and motorcoach operators have a couple of more weeks to submit their 2011 federal Americans with Disabilities Act reports.

USDOT rules, which are enforced by the U.S. Justice Department, require all U.S.-based over-the-road bus companies to submit three types of reports to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration every 12 months, documenting requests they have had for accessible bus service and how the requests were handled.

This years reports are due Oct. 31, and cover the period from Oct. 1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011.

The three reports operators must submit provide the feds with the following:

Summaries of all accessible/equivalent service requests received during the previous year and the response/services provided by the operator.

The number of passengers who used a wheelchair lift to board an accessible coach.

Summaries of motorcoach fleet composition, including the number of buses in the fleet and the number that are wheelchair accessible.

Comprehensive information about the federal ADA guidelines and reporting requirements can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/bus/company/ada-guidelines.htm.

The Members Only section of the United Motorcoach Association website, www.uma.org, also contains the ADA final rule and reporting forms.

"It is imperative that over-the-road bus companies comply with these reporting requirements," says UMA Vice President of Industry Relations Ken Presley.

"A companys failure to comply with the requirements may result in a USDOT referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation and possible litigation."

Questions about the requirement can be directed to Presley at kpresley@uma.org, or by calling him at (800) 424-8262.