In a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, Greyhound will compensate passengers with disabilities and pay a fine to settle allegations that it repeatedly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Justice Department said this week that Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $300,000 to certain travelers identified by the federal agency and the company will hire a claims administrator to compensate an unlimited number of others who faced disability discrimination in interactions with the bus service.

The agreement comes in response to a Justice Department complaint alleging that Greyhound failed to maintain lifts and other accessibility features on its buses, did not assist passengers with disabilities with getting on and off buses and did not allow individuals using wheelchairs to make travel reservations online.

“The ADA guarantees people with disabilities equal access to transportation services so that they can travel freely and enjoy autonomy,” said Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “(This) agreement marks a major step toward fulfilling the promise of the ADA, and we applaud Greyhound for entering the consent decree.”

The deal, which must still be approved by a judge, calls for Greyhound to pay a civil penalty of $75,000 and improve its online booking system in addition to compensating passengers. The company has also agreed to make annual, in-person ADA training mandatory for all employees and contractors who interact with the public.

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