Much of the MTA's accessibility focus has been on putting elevators in subway stations — but a new report shows that while buses are accessible in theory, in practice, they are not.

Disability advocate Jean Ryan took photos of firefighters assisting with a wheelchair lift that malfunctioned on an express bus as she was riding to her home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 

“Sometimes it takes an hour to get on the bus, because the drivers don’t know what to do, and they’re trying to figure it out, or something doesn’t work on the lift, or they have to call and be told step-by-step what to do,” Ryan said.

Half the rides taken by field researchers in City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office found issues like this, compiled in a report on express bus satisfaction and accessibility first released exclusively to NY1. 

Lander says it started with disability roundtables about parts of the city that weren’t accessible, which led to discussions about transportation.

“There’s a lot of issues, but everyone said express buses,” Lander said.

The report found in some instances, drivers were either unable to operate or use the lift properly, while others reported the wheelchairs weren’t properly secured, or there was an issue with the lift itself.

In some cases, the operator just didn’t pick up the wheelchair user, and some alleged inappropriate, rude, hostile or threatening behavior because of the issues.

“One thing that really broke my heart the most is the kind of tension that can develop between a New Yorker in a wheelchair, who just needs to get to work, and the other people on the bus,” Lander said.

It’s been frustrating for Ryan. And because not all subway stations are accessible, it leaves few other options for spontaneous travel besides expensive ride-shares.

“If I take Access-A-Ride, I have to book that the day before, and know exactly when I’m going to be out of a meeting or where I’m going to be exactly,” Ryan said. "Who knows when a meeting is ever going to get out?”

The report did make short-term recommendations to the MTA aiming to increase reliability, including refresher trainings on how to use the lifts for drivers, annual hands-on field training, reporting on lift deployments and failures, and piloting low-floor entry buses similar to local buses, but that can be safely used on highways.

For now, Ryan says she and many others shy away from express buses, worried it will be more trouble than it’s worth.

The MTA's chief accessibility officer, Quemuel Arroyo, responded to the report in a statement provided to NY1. 

"As the first transit agency in the country to convert its entire bus fleet... to be ADA compliant, the MTA has always prioritized accessibility and equitable transit," Arroyo said, adding that "that includes added training for bus operators who operate wheelchair ramps, increased testing, and pilot programs that test low entry wheelchair boarding."