safety alertalert exclamation

If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, call 911 or your local hotline or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233 voice), 1-800-787-3224 (tty). There is always a computer trail, but you can click ESCAPE to leave the site quickly.

home>addressing accessibility>identifying community supports>transportation>

Understanding Paratransit Services

Overview

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires transit agencies to provide paratransit services to people with disabilities who cannot use the fixed route bus or rail service (also known as mainline service). In general, paratransit service must be provided within 3/4 of a mile of a bus route or rail station, at the same hours and days, for no more than twice the regular fixed route fare. The ADA further requires that paratransit rides be provided to all eligible riders if requested any time the previous day, within an hour of the requested time.

Eligibility for Paratransit

Eligibility is defined for paratransit in three categories.

ADA Paratransit Eligibility Category 1

People who can't travel on the bus or train, even if it's accessible, because of a disability

This category includes people who are unable, due to a mental or physical impairment (including a vision impairment), to board, ride, or disembark from an accessible bus or train without assistance. For example:

  • People with cognitive disabilities, if they do not know where to get off the bus or how to go to their destination from the bus stop.
  • People with visual impairments, if they don't have the travel skills needed to navigate the route to their destination.
  • A person with a visual impairment that allows him/her to see well enough to travel independently during the daytime but not at night.

ADA Paratransit Eligibility Category 2

People who need an accessible bus or train

This category includes wheelchair users and other people with disabilities who can use an accessible vehicle but who want to travel on a route that is still inaccessible (not served by accessible buses or accessible trains and key rail stations).

ADA Paratransit Eligibility Category 3

People who have a specific disability-related condition

This category includes people who have a specific disability-related condition that prevents them from traveling to a boarding location or from a disembarking location. Environmental barriers (distance, terrain, weather) or architectural barriers not under control of the transit agency (such as lack of curb ramps) that prevent an individual from traveling to or from the boarding or disembarking locations may form the basis for eligibility. 1

Paratransit Costs

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.

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.

Finding 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. 1

1Irvine, Kevin, and Marilyn Golden. ADA Paratransit Eligibility: How To Make Your Case. Accessed 10.2.06.