Special Paratransit Service for Elderly and Handicapped Persons: Operational Experience

Federal Transit Administration 50th Anniversaryhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15274131981PDFTech ReportEinstein, NedUnited States. Urban Mass Transit Administration.National Institute for Advance StudiesUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationWashington (District of Columbia);United StatesUrban transitPublic transitParatransit servicesAgedPersons with disabilitiesCase studiesCommunity impactElderlySpecial servicesSystem impactDOT-I-81-35Since its introduction in the United States in 1971, dial-a-ride transportation has grown to represent a sizable portion of many continuities ' public transportation systems, particularly where line haul service is sparse. Dial-a-ride was designed as a means of extending public transportation to general transit riders in low density areas. The systems were designed to provide "door-to-door" (most were what is referred to today as "curb-to-curb") service on an immediate-response basis. But two major legislative thrusts at the Federal level quickly redirected dial-a-ride ' s course and future. The first of these thrusts was the outpouring of funds to operate social service programs for elderly and low income persons. As most of these programs required the movement of clients to the facilities in order to use them, some of these funds were designated for use in providing transportation. As a consequence, U.S. cities are dotted with dozens (or in a few cases, hundreds) of tiny paratransit "systems" carrying the clients of a single social service agency to program facilities. As most of these programs conduct regularly-scheduled activities, most of these services are operated on a subscription basis (i.e., users make the same trips, at the same times, each day or week). The second major thrust has been the growth of special programs for handicapped people which followed the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The need to serve the clients of these programs led to an explosion of small, demand-responsive operations, as these clients' trip needs were not regularly-reoccurring.138