Ada Paratransit And Other Demand Responsive Transportation Services In Small To Midsized Transit Agencies

ADA paratransit demand continues to grow while resources are dwindling. Because of this, transit agencies continue to explore models to more effectively meet the demand. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 161: ADA Paratransit and Other Demand-Responsive Transportation Services in Small to Midsized Transit Agencies explores paratransit delivery models for small and midsize systems and documents the way various service and contract models are structured, to enhance the knowledge base of small agencies.

"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 74: Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand highlights policies and practices that transit agencies may be able to apply to their own paratransit services, often without the need to devote significant funds, personnel, or other resources. The report also examines certain practices and technologies that are still under development or have not undergone extensive testing"--Publisher's description.

The scope of this synthesis is to (1) search out useful information on the use of computer-aided scheduling and dispatch (CASD) in demand-responsive transit (DRT) services, (2) develop an amalgamation or compendium of the current knowledge and successful practices used in computerizing the functions necessary to efficiently and effectively operate such DRT services, and (3) report on measures used to resolve specific problems in planning and implementing CASD. The ultimate objective in compiling a considerable storehouse of information is to make this information available to the public transit community. Private and nonprofit organizations that are providing DRT services will similarly benefit from a review of these results.

Offers information from selected transit agencies about the operational practices used to provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services and identifies factors perceived by transit personnel to have influenced the selection of service delivery methodology. It focuses on the state of the practice in paratransit contracting and service delivery methods to comply with ADA paratransit provisions.

"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 76: Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Transit Services explores the experiences of transit agencies that have attempted to depart from the traditional binary model of separate fixed-route and paratransit services by seeking a variety of ways to integrate their services. Options examined in the report include the provision of paratransit feeder services, community bus or circulators, connectors, fixed-route fare incentives, and route deviation"--Publisher's description

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 53: Operational Experiences with Flexible Transit Services examines transit agency experiences with "flexible transit services," including all types of hybrid services that are not pure demand-responsive (including dial-a-ride and Americans with Disabilities Act paratransit) or fixed-route services, but that fall somewhere in between those traditional service models.

Demand responsive transit, sometimes referred to as dial-a-ride or, more generally, paratransit, includes those services where a transit vehicle does not operate a fixed route, but rather calls at selected geographic points in response to specific service requests. Service may or may not be provided on a fixed schedule. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) services are a subgroup designed specifically for persons who, because of a disability, cannot access or ride available fixed route services. Traveler response and related information are presented in this chapter for both services open to the general public and ADA services intended for persons with disabilities. This chapter, Chapter 6, will be of interest to transit and transportation planning practitioners, educators, researchers, and professionals across a broad spectrum of transportation and planning agencies; metropolitan planning organizations; and local, state, and federal government agencies.

Paratransit is an essential service for people with disabilities who are unable to use fixed-route transit. Transit agencies are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide complementary paratransit service alongside its fixed-route transportation. It is expensive to operate this service. Currently it costs San Mateo County in California more than $18 million a year to provide ADA paratransit service for 8500 registered customers, representing 12% of the agency’s total operating budget. With such high expenditure, transit agencies are increasingly motivated to make changes to their paratransit model with the objective of reducing costs. At the same time, it is important that the level of service is improved to ensure truly equitable transportation for disadvantaged people. The objective of this study is to assess how transit agencies can reduce paratransit costs without hindering the mobility of people most reliant on these services. This research analyzes the paratransit operation of a mid-sized transit agency, SamTrans in San Mateo County, California, and examines how other transit agencies are modifying their operations. Some cities across the U.S. have been piloting ride-sharing partnerships as an alternative to traditional forms of paratransit, with the hope to shift demand. The analysis of SamTrans and the case studies have then been used to formulate various solutions to reduce paratransit costs and/or improve service in other ways such as on-time performance, communication, demand management and customer convenience. Finally, each solution is rated on a three-point scale to depict their attractiveness compared to business-as-usual.