Like many New Yorkers, Paul-Anthony Urbanek depends on public transportation to get around the city. But for years, getting anywhere on his own was difficult.

As a student, Urbanek relied on yellow school buses, and outside of school, he depended on Access-A-Ride.

“I had to rely on Access-A-Ride, and it wasn’t reliable at all. Like, I would be late, and they would cancel if the weather was bad. And that was annoying because I was already an adult by then and I still had responsibilities,” Urbanek said.

What You Need To Know

  • Nearly 900 students were referred for New York City’s travel training program during the 2023-24 school year, but only 222 completed it

  • The program teaches students with disabilities how to safely navigate public transit independently instead of relying on yellow school buses or Access-A-Ride

  • Advocates for Children says the city needs more funding for the program, arguing there are not enough trainers to meet demand

  • Queens resident Paul-Anthony Urbanek says completing travel training helped him gain independence, commute to work and attend classes at Queensborough Community College

Urbanek, who has autism, lived with his mother until she died just days before his 18th birthday.

“I was lost,” he said.

After her death, Urbanek entered the foster care system and moved into a supervised group home for people with disabilities. At the time, he spoke very little and was closely supervised.

“As I became more verbal, I learned more about my rights. I became more of a self-advocate. I became a self-advocate. And I tell them, ‘Hey, I don’t want to be chaperoned like a baby, because I’m not a baby,’” Urbanek said.

Urbanek attended a District 75 school, where students with disabilities can remain enrolled until age 21. Many students in the program travel by yellow school bus, but some are eligible for a program known as travel training, which teaches students how to safely navigate public transit independently.

Advocates say the program not only helps students gain independence but also saves the city money by reducing reliance on school bus transportation.

Urbanek was referred for travel training while still in school, but the process was delayed after his mother’s death and again during the COVID-19 pandemic. He eventually completed the training after graduation with help from the agency providing his supportive housing.

“That was a great relief because I’m like, ‘Yes, I did it.’ Like I showed them. I showed those people in the system that, ‘Hey, I can be responsible,’” Urbanek said.

According to the city, nearly 900 students were referred for travel training during the 2023-24 school year, but only 222 completed the program.

The nonprofit organization Advocates for Children says the city needs to invest more resources into the program.

“Our understanding is that it’s a capacity issue of there’s just not enough funding to have enough people to train all of those students,” said Madison Pinckney, a staff attorney with the group

The city’s Department of Education said some students choose not to start or complete the program, adding that the number of students trained increased to 256 during the last school year. A department spokesperson said officials are committed to expanding the initiative.

“I wish I would get the opportunity to travel train earlier, in 2018 like I was promised to, so I could be more ahead in my life,” Urbanek said.

Today, Urbanek takes the bus to his job at a restaurant in Rockaway Beach and uses the 7 train and buses to attend classes at Queensborough Community College.

He said learning how to use public transit independently changed the course of his life.