[nagdu] paratransit woes

Tue Jul 10 22:42:58 UTC 2012

What Is Paratransit? 

Paratransit is a specialized, door-to-door transport service for people with
disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route public transportation.
This may be due to an inability to: 
. board, ride or disembark independently from any readily accessible vehicle
on the regular fixed-route system 
. access existing accessible fixed-route transportation because that
transportation is not available at the needed time on that route 
. get to boarding/alighting locations of regular public transportation. 

Paratransit has a specialized meaning in the context of transportation
regulations. The term refers to the complementary paratransit service,
comparable to public fixed-route systems, which must be provided. Typically,
paratransit is provided in a demand-responsive mode (i.e., the person with a
disability must make a telephone call to arrange service). 

The goal of the paratransit program is to ensure that all Americans have
access to transit to meet basic mobility needs. The passage of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 recognized that people with disabilities
have the same rights as other citizens to access services and facilities
that are available to the public, including transportation. The U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the enforcement of
ADA's transportation requirements. 

Eligibility Requirements 

Since most true paratransit services are subsidized by federal, state or
county governments, or other municipal agencies, users must be able to meet
one of the following three eligibility requirements. (Note: Individuals may
be eligible for paratransit on the basis of a permanent or temporary
disability. The individual must meet one of the three eligibility criteria,
whether permanently or for a limited period of time.) 

Category 1: Individuals who are unable, because of a physical or mental
impairment, to board, ride or disembark independently from any readily
accessible vehicle on the regular fixed-route system. Among others, this
category includes people with mental or visual impairments who, as a result
of their disability, cannot navigate the system. This means that, if an
individual needs an attendant to board, ride or disembark from an accessible
fixed-route vehicle (including navigating the system), the individual is
eligible for paratransit. 

Category 2: Also eligible are those people with a physical or mental
impairment who could use accessible fixed-route transportation, but the
accessible fixed-route transportation is not available at the needed time on
a particular route (the accessible vehicle is down for maintenance, the lift
cannot be deployed, etc.). 

Category 3: Any individual with a specific impairment-related condition that
prevents that person from traveling to a boarding location or from a
disembarking location on the system. In this case, the impairment must
prevent travel to or from a fixed-route stop. Significant inconvenience or
difficulty does not form a basis for eligibility under this section.
Further, barriers not under control of the public entity providing the
fixed-route service (such as distance or weather) do not by themselves form
a basis for eligibility under this section. These situations are resolved on
a case-by-case basis, determined by evaluating the interaction between the
impairment-related condition and the barrier in question. 

Costs 

Again, since most true paratransit services are subsidized, the cost to the
rider can be very low, as opposed, for example, to the cost of an accessible
commercial taxi or limousine service, which provides door-to-door service
but does not qualify as a true paratransit service. It should be noted that
Medicare does not pay for transportation services except in the case of
emergency. 

When you contact a paratransit service through one of the methods outlined
below, you should specifically request information about such things as cost
per trip, advance notice requirements, scheduling of return transportation,
etc. 

To Find Local Public Transportation and Paratransit Services 

Consult your local telephone book. Most telephone books have a special
section in the front of the book containing contact information for
community service organizations. Look under "Disabled" and "Transportation"
for the names of agencies that provide transportation for special needs. If
necessary, look under the same headings in the yellow pages. If this proves
unsuccessful, contact your local transit authority or municipal bus service
operator for referral to the complementary service they are required by the
ADA to provide. 

Contact the Area Agency on Aging's Eldercare Locator. Call their toll-free
number at 800/677-1116. Locator information is available Monday through
Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET). For calls made after normal hours of
operation, a message recorder is available for the caller to leave a name
and a telephone number. These calls will be returned the next business day.
The locator staff may provide the phone number of the actual paratransit
service or may provide the phone numbers for your local and/or state Area
Agency on Aging or "Help Line," which, in turn, can provide the needed
paratransit contact information. 

Contact the National Transit Hotline. This organization can provide the
names of local transit providers who receive federal money to provide
transportation to seniors and people with disabilities. Call toll-free at
800/527-8279. 

Contact Easter Seals Project ACTION. If you have Internet access, you can go
to
http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_homepage
and access the Accessible Travel Database. Through this site, people with
disabilities can easily assess the availability of accessible transportation
anywhere in the country. The transportation database allows you to highlight
the state and city in which you live or where you plan to visit and view the
addresses and telephone numbers of all transportation services available to
you there. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 10:07 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] paratransit woes

I always understood a need for paratransit was dependent on if there was a
time when taking the bus would be unsafe, think bad cold or ear infections,
icey weather, whatever you and a doctor can agree would be unsafe for you to
be out and about.  For some people itmay even be during a time when a dog
couldn't or shouldn't work.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 8:16 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] paratransit woes

It bugs me that a person has to say they're completely helpless before they
can get paratransit.  To get it here in NJ, I'd have to say I can't take the
bus.  That's simply not true.  I can truthfully say I can't take the bus to
get everywhere I want to go, but that's not good enough.  So far, I've been
too proud to say I'm helpless. It's demeaning.
There used to be a person on this list from Washington state who said their
paratransit was open to anyone who needed it.  All one had to do was say one
needed it.  That seems better to me.
Tracy

> Hi Steven.  I'd definitely be interested in doing something like this.
> That would be great as I definitely think they are going against the ADA
>   with this process.
> --
> Rebecca and Zeb
> email: rilniski at gmail.com
> facebook: facebook.com/rebeccai5
> Zeb's facebook: facebook.com/zeb.ilniski
>
> _______________________________________________
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