The nation’s transit agencies are increasing their oversight of people with disabilities who apply for federally mandated transportation service.
Applicants to the paratransit program are more likely to undergo functional assessments and in-person interviews than in years past, when registration was often completed by mail with a doctor’s note. Assessments were traditionally used for people whose need for the shared ride service was difficult to prove by mail. Now many cities are requiring all applicants to apply in person, following the lead of Pittsburgh, which has used assessments since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 took effect. Since 2001, in-person assessments also became mandatory in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago and Washington D.C.
Paratransit eligibility assessments include an interview at a rehabilitation center or medical facility, and functional testing for applicants whose need for the service is unclear to assessors. The process is controversial and sometimes draws protest from the disability community since it requires all applicants to describe and display their travel abilities and inabilities to unfamiliar medical professionals, regardless of their condition.
The increased use of eligibility assessments is one way that transit agencies have begun to adhere more closely to the specific criteria in the Americans with Disabilities Act as demand for paratransit service increases. From 2000 to 2007, the number of demand responsive trips in the nation, which primarily consists of paratransit trips, rose by about 24%, from 73 million to 91 million trips, according to the National Transit Database of the Federal Transit Administration. The nation's transit providers made about 40 million demand responsive trips in 1990 when the federal law was passed.
The federal law requires all transit agencies that operate a mass transit system to provide a supplemental paratransit service for people who cannot take buses and trains because of a disability. The law focuses on integrating the mass transit system by requiring transit agencies to make buses and trains accessible, and requires paratransit service as a safety net but not a substitute for mass transit accessibility.
According to the law, transit agencies must offer the service to people who are "functionally unable" to use the local transit system for some or all of their trips and live within three-quarters of a mile of a mass transit station. Transit agencies are permitted but not required to offer trips above and beyond the federal criteria, and some that did so when demand was lower are scaling back now, angering the customers who lose service.
Transit agencies are also increasing their use of conditional eligibility determinations that restrict riders to service in circumstances like extreme heat, icy weather or long-distance travel rather than providing them with unlimited access.
Proponents in the disability rights community and transit industry say tighter eligibility can encourage disabled riders to integrate into the mass transit system as it becomes more accessible, particularly in cities that rely solely on buses, which are becoming accessible more rapidly than subways. During the assessment process, some transit agencies tell applicants about travel training programs and accessible mass transit options.
Supporters also say testing deters ineligible riders from applying and reserves the service for the people who need it most as demand escalates. Paratransit ridership is increasing by double digits annually in some cities, leading to a flurry of budget discussions and policy documents about how to manage demand and implement best practices. There are 1,650 paratransit systems in the nation, two thirds of which operate in rural areas. Paratransit often competes for dollars with mass transit since it is locally funded by transit agencies. Some nonprofits and local organizations provide their own paratransit service according to independent guidelines since they are unattached to federally funded transit agencies.
There has also been widespread criticism of the tests, including complaints from applicants that the tests are demeaning and cumbersome. Assessors often ask applicants to climb mock bus stairs or count change to prove their physical and cognitive abilities, sometimes in the view of other applicants. Transit agencies that adopt mandatory testing policies often see a significant increase in application withdrawals by people who are unwilling or unable to attend their assessment.
Although the use of assessments has grown significantly, there is little documentation of its effects on a national level. The Florida Department of Transportation is planning to release the results of a study later this month that examines the effects of eligibility testing. The study, “Impacts of More Rigorous ADA Paratransit Eligibility Assessments on Riders with Disabilities,” is based on interviews with more than three dozen transit agency representatives, but did not include any interviews with customers. Click here to read the story.
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