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Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand (2008)

Chapter: Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Survey of Paratransit Providers." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14154.
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10 The primary focus of this synthesis was to document effective and efficient practices and policies currently used by transit agencies in meeting ADA paratransit demand. A survey of ADA paratransit providers in the United States provided an overview of U.S. industry practices. The results of the ques- tionnaire (presented in Appendix A) used in this survey are described in this chapter. If a respondent considered a practice or policy particu- larly effective for meeting paratransit demand at their agency, several questions gave the option of being con- tacted for a follow-up telephone interview or sending mate- rial for review. The interviews given and materials provided by the transit agencies are discussed further in chapter four. CHARACTERISTICS OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS Introduction From APTA and CTAA mailing lists, 900 contact names were compiled. In all, 135 completed surveys were returned. How- ever, 11 were duplicate responses (multiple responses from a single agency), resulting in 124 unique survey responses; a return rate of 14%. Table 1 lists the number of responses by state. Because California ranks first in population according to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, it is not surprising that nearly 15% of the responses (18 of 124) came from California transit agencies. Altogether, surveys came from 34 differ- ent states. In the tables that follow, the percentages shown represent the percentage of respondents answering a question. Ques- tions that were left blank were excluded when results were analyzed for each question. Paratransit Agency Service Analysis Questions 1 through 13 asked for contact information. The transit agency name, city, state, and zip code appear in the list of responding agencies provided in Appendix B. Question 14—ADA Trips on an Average Weekday. Question 15—Total Paratransit Trips on an Average Weekday (include ADA and all other). Table 2 shows that the majority of agencies responding to the survey provide fewer than 250 ADA or paratransit trips on an average weekday. The breakdown of trip levels in this table was used as a way to categorize survey respondents in a number of subsequent tables: • Under 250 average weekday trips “Small” • 250 to 499 average weekday trips “Medium” • 500 to 999 average weekday trips “Large” • 1,000+ average weekday trips “Very Large.” Question 16—Total Individuals Registered for ADA Paratransit Service. Correspondingly, the majority of agencies responding to the survey have fewer than 500 individuals registered for ADA paratransit service, as shown in Table 3. Question 17—Total “Active” ADA Riders (at least one trip in past year). Table 4 presents the distribution of active ADA riders. Question 18—Subscription Trips (% of all ADA trips). Table 5 shows the breakdown of subscription trips as a per- cent of all ADA trips. Question 19—ADA Service Area. Question 20—ADA Service Hours. Table 6 shows that most agencies responding to the survey provide service in a somewhat larger ADA area than required by the regulations. The majority of the survey respondents provide ADA service during days and hours to match the fixed-route service they provide. Question 21—Check the Type of Vehicles That Are in Your Dedicated Paratransit Fleet. Question 23—Other (non-dedicated) Vehicles Available for Paratransit Service. Respondents generally use vans and small buses in their dedicated paratransit fleet, but there is no predominant type CHAPTER THREE SURVEY OF PARATRANSIT PROVIDERS

11 of non-dedicated vehicle available for paratransit service, as shown in Table 7. About half of the respondents (46%) reported multiple types of vehicles in their dedicated para- transit fleets, and about a quarter (28%) reported multiple types of non-dedicated vehicles available for paratransit service. Question 22—Peak Fleet. Nearly all respondents (93%) reported having 99 or fewer vehicles in their peak paratransit fleets, with the majority having fewer than 25 vehicles, as shown in Table 8. State No. of Responses CA 18 MI, WI 9 TX 8 OH 7 WA 6 NC, OR 5 AZ, GA, OK, PA, TN 4 CO, IA, ME, MN 3 AL, FL. KY, MA, NM, NV, NY, SD 2 AR, CT, DE, ID, IL, IN, MT, UT, WY 1 TABLE 1 SURVEY RESPONSES BY STATE TABLE 2 WEEKDAY TRIP LEVELS AMONG RESPONDENTS Trips <250 250 to 499 500 to 999 1,000+ ADA Trips on an Average Weekday 66% 15% 7% 12% Total Paratransit Trips on an Average Weekday (including ADA and other) 52% 19% 14% 15% Total Individuals Registered for ADA Paratransit Service <500 500 to 1,999 2,000 to 4,999 5,000+ % of Respondents 47% 17% 19% 17% Total Active ADA Riders (at least one trip in past year) <200 200 to 499 500 to 999 1,000+ % of Respondents 39% 17% 12% 32% TABLE 3 LEVEL OF ADA REGISTRANTS AMONG RESPONDENTS TABLE 4 LEVEL OF ADA RIDERS AMONG RESPONDENTS Subscription Trips as Percent of All ADA Trips 0 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65 to 100 % of Respondents 38% 29% 26% 7% Minimum Required Somewhat More Than Minimum Significantly More Than Minimum ADA Service Area: % of Respondents 34% 43% 23% ADA Hours of Service: % of Respondents 61% 31% 8% TABLE 5 RANGE OF SUBSCRIPTION TRIPS AMONG RESPONDENTS TABLE 6 ADA SERVICE AREA AND HOURS AMONG RESPONDENTS Vehicle Sedans/Taxis Vans Small Buses Other Multiple Answers Type of Vehicles in Dedicated Paratransit Fleet: % of Respondents 17% 60% 70% 9% 46% Type of Other (non-dedicated) Vehicles Available for Paratransit Service: % of Respondents 39% 42% 34% 22% 28% TABLE 7 VEHICLE TYPES AMONG RESPONDENTS

Question 24—Who Is Responsible for the Following? Table 9 presents a distribution of responsibility among in- house, broker, other contractor, or a combination. Responsi- bility for eligibility determination, customer information, and vehicle ownership are overwhelmingly handled in-house. Only 2% to 7% of respondents reported broker responsibility for any paratransit function. On the other hand, 15% to 43% of respondents reported that paratransit functions are handled by other contractors, with the training, hiring, and supervision functions garnering the highest rate of response. Because questions about responsibilities allowed respondents to check more than one answer, the survey found that nearly 20% of respondents reported multiple responsibilities for customer information and for training of other paratransit staff. PARATRANSIT POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED BY SURVEY RESPONDENTS Introduction Participants were asked a number of questions concerning the following six areas of ADA paratransit service: 1. Eligibility policies and practices, 2. Trip reservation policies and practices, 3. Daily operations, 4. Use of taxis, 5. Coordination with social service agencies, and 6. Management and administrative programs. Of the 124 unique survey responses received, 21 respon- dents did not answer the questions on paratransit policies and practices used; therefore, the tables that follow cover the responses received from the remaining 103 agencies. 12 To seek out possible trends, each question on policies and practices was studied in two ways: (1) in summary form and (2) cross-tabulated by average weekday total paratransit trips, as reported by the respondents in Question 15. Average week- day total paratransit trips is a gauge of an operation’s size, which can be viewed as having an important influence (more so than age or geography) over the decisions an agency makes. Analysis of Policies and Practices for More Effective and/or Efficient Paratransit Service Question 25—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Make Use of Any of the Following Eligibility Policies or Practices? Question 26—Please Include Any Comments on Your Eligibility Responses Here. Table 10 shows that the majority of all respondents use con- ditional eligibility (68%), periodic recertification (69%), and travel training (56%) as eligibility policies and practices in their ADA paratransit services. Table 10 also shows that the use of these three policies and practices is especially high among respondents of the sec- ond largest size (large weekday total paratransit trips): 87%, 93%, and 87%, respectively. Travel training is a highly used practice as well (88%) among the largest respondents (more than 1,000 total weekday paratransit trips). On the other hand, the table shows a deviation from the summary majority response regarding travel training among the smallest respondents (fewer than 250 weekday total para- transit trips). The responses from this group indicate that a majority of these agencies (58%) do not have travel training programs. Also showing a reversal from the summary trends is TABLE 8 RANGE OF PEAK PARATRANSIT FLEETS AMONG RESPONDENTS TABLE 9 PARATRANSIT RESPONSIBILITIES AMONG RESPONDENTS Peak Fleet Size <25 25 to 99 100 to 199 200 % of Respondents 65% 27% 4% 4% Responsibility In-House Broker Other Contractor Multiple Answers Eligibility Determination 88% 4% 19% 11% Customer Information 89% 7% 25% 19% Trip Reservations 69% 5% 32% 5% Vehicle Scheduling 69% 4% 32% 6% Vehicle Dispatching 67% 4% 35% 6% Vehicle Ownership 93% 2% 15% 10% Vehicle Maintenance 67% 4% 36% 7% Driver Hiring and Supervision 65% 3% 39% 6% Driver Training 68% 2% 43% 13% Training for Other Paratransit Staff 76% 3% 39% 18%

13 the use of eligibility practices, trip-by-trip eligibility, and feeder service to/from a fixed route among the “Large” respondents (500 to 999 average weekday total paratransit trips). A major- ity of transit agencies in this group reported that they employ trip-by trip eligibility (60%) and feeder service (53%). Question 27—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Make Use of Any of the Following Policies or Practices for Trip Reservations? Question 28—Please Include Any Comments on Your Trip Reservations Responses Here. Table 11 shows that a slight majority of all respondents offer on-demand or same-day reservations (54%) and that the “Small” and “Medium” operations are more likely to do so than the “Large” and “Very Large” operations. Only 10% of all respondents use the Internet for trip reservations. Chapter four reviews some of the respondents that are testing this method of receiving trip requests. Question 29—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Use Special Policies or Practices in Any of the Following Elements of Daily Operations? Question 30—Please Include Any Comments on Your Daily Operations Responses Here. Table 12 shows that the most common type of innovative practices among the survey respondents was use of tech- nology and flexible staffing (both 40%). The majority of the “Large” respondents use innovative practices in vehi- cle scheduling (53%); technology (67%); flexible staffing (53%); and allocation of drivers, vehicles, or other resources (60%). A majority of the “Very Large” operators responded that they have innovative practices in use of technology (65%). Question 31—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Make Use of Taxis in Any of the Following Ways? Question 32—Please Include Any Comments on Your Taxi Responses Here. Table 13 shows that a majority of all respondents do not use taxis in their ADA paratransit services. Although this is true for all respondent groups, the use of accessible taxis, taxis as regular contractors, taxis as overflow contractors, and taxis as TABLE 10 ELIGIBILITY POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE (by weekday paratransit trips) TABLE 11 TRIP RESERVATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Conditional Eligibility 68% 32% 60% 40% 71% 29% 87% 13% 71% 29% Trip-by-Trip Eligibility 39% 61% 38% 62% 33% 67% 60% 40% 29% 71% Periodic Recertification 69% 31% 58% 42% 62% 38% 93% 7% 88% 12% Feeder Service to/from Fixed Route 37% 63% 34% 66% 33% 67% 53% 47% 35% 65% Travel Training 56% 44% 42% 58% 62% 38% 87% 13% 65% 35% Other Eligibility Policies and Practices 33% 67% 28% 72% 29% 71% 47% 53% 41% 59% Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No On-Demand or Same- Day Reservations 54% 46% 54% 46% 62% 38% 53% 47% 47% 53% Internet Access for Trip Requests, Changes, Confirmations, Cancellations 10% 90% 4% 96% 14% 86% 20% 80% 12% 88% TTDs 59% 41% 54% 46% 43% 57% 80% 20% 76% 24% Multi-Lingual Call Takers 50% 50% 40% 60% 38% 62% 73% 27% 71% 29% Other Trip Reservation Policies and Practices 41% 59% 48% 52% 24% 76% 40% 60% 41% 59%

same-day contractors is significantly higher among the largest respondents (47%, 41%, 47%, and 29%, respectively). Only 6% of all respondents said that they used taxis as other pre- mium service contractors. Question 33—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Coordinate with Social Service Agencies in Any of the Following Ways? Question 34—Please Include Any Comments on Your Coordination Responses Here. Table 14 shows that a majority of all respondents generally do not coordinate with social service agencies in running their ADA paratransit services. The exception to this rule is the practice of coordinating program schedules for more efficient schedules, for which half of all transit agencies responded in the affirmative. When broken down by size, the respondents who average fewer than 250 weekday total paratransit trips are slightly more likely to coordinate program schedules for more efficient schedules (54%), whereas the “Medium,” “Large,” and “Very Large” sys- tems were somewhat less likely to do so. In addition, other coordination policies and practices received a particularly high positive response rate (59%) among the “Very Large” respondents. 14 Question 35—Does Your ADA Paratransit Service Have Any of the Following Special Management or Administrative Programs? Question 36—Please Include Any Comments on Your Management/Administrative Program Responses Here. Table 15 shows that service monitoring was the only type of management or administrative program in which a majority of the survey respondents (57%) reported that they were doing something innovative. In addition, a large portion of the “Very Large” operations (76%) reported that they had some innova- tive service monitoring policies or practices. Although no other management or administrative program was reported to be in use by the majority of respondents over- all or by the majority in any subcategory, a closer examination of this question reveals a few interesting variations. Respon- dents from the “Very Large” operators used incentive pro- grams for riders somewhat more frequently than respondents in other groups, but used alternate sources of revenue far less frequently than respondents in the other groups. Respon- dents from the “Large” operations used creative budgeting (as defined by the respondents) significantly more than respon- dents in other groups. Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Vehicle Scheduling 36% 64% 40% 60% 14% 86% 53% 47% 35% 65% Dispatching 37% 63% 42% 58% 19% 81% 40% 60% 41% 59% Feeder Service 16% 84% 16% 84% 14% 86% 27% 73% 6% 94% Use of Technology 40% 60% 28% 72% 29% 71% 67% 33% 65% 35% Flexible Staffing 40% 60% 46% 54% 24% 76% 53% 47% 29% 71% Allocation of Drivers, Vehicles, or Other Resources 36% 64% 40% 60% 24% 76% 60% 40% 18% 82% Other Daily Operations Policies and Practices 26% 74% 30% 70% 5% 95% 33% 67% 35% 65% TABLE 12 INNOVATIVE DAILY OPERATIONS POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Accessible Taxis 17% 83% 6% 94% 10% 90% 27% 73% 47% 53% Taxis as Regular Contractors 16% 84% 8% 92% 5% 95% 27% 73% 41% 59% Taxis as Overflow Contractors 21% 79% 10% 90% 19% 81% 33% 67% 47% 53% Taxis as Same-Day Contractors 12% 88% 6% 94% 5% 95% 20% 80% 29% 71% Taxis as Other Premium Service Contractors 6% 94% 4% 96% 0% 100% 13% 87% 12% 88% Other Uses of Taxis 15% 85% 16% 84% 5% 95% 20% 80% 18% 82% TABLE 13 TAXI POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE

15 FIXED-ROUTE POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED BY SURVEY RESPONDENTS Introduction The next set of tables shows respondents’ answers to questions concerning the following two areas of fixed-route service: 1. Fixed-route improvements for riders with disabilities. 2. Fixed-route incentives for riders with disabilities. Of the 124 unique survey responses received, 36 respon- dents did not answer the questions on fixed-route policies and practices used; the remaining 88 surveys were analyzed. The responses in this section were analyzed in a similar fashion as the responses to the questions on paratransit policies and practices: (1) in summary form and (2) cross-tabulated by average weekday total paratransit trips, including ADA and all other, as reported by the respondents. Analysis of Fixed-Route Questions Question 39—Does Your Transit Agency Provide or Help with Any of the Following Fixed-Route Improvements for Your Riders with Disabilities? Question 40—Please Include Any Comments on Your Fixed-Route Improvement Responses Here. As shown in Table 16, the majority of all respondents reported that they provide or help with improvements in vehicle acces- sibility (81%); design guidelines for improved accessibility for Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Social Service Agencies as Contracted Paratransit Providers 20% 80% 16% 84% 29% 71% 27% 73% 18% 82% Social Service Agencies as Contractor for Non- ADA Paratransit Service 27% 73% 24% 76% 33% 67% 33% 67% 24% 76% Lease Vehicles to Social Service Agencies 10% 90% 8% 92% 5% 95% 20% 80% 12% 88% Coordinate Program Schedules for More Efficient Schedules 50% 50% 54% 46% 48% 52% 40% 60% 47% 53% Dedicate Vehicles and/or Drivers to Particular Sites or Agencies 27% 73% 22% 78% 24% 76% 33% 67% 41% 59% Leverage Funding from Other Sources (e.g., Medicaid) 33% 67% 32% 68% 33% 67% 40% 60% 29% 71% Other Coordination Policies and Practices 20% 80% 34% 66% 38% 62% 33% 67% 59% 41% Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Service Monitoring 57% 43% 46% 54% 67% 33% 60% 40% 76% 24% Incentive Programs for Riders 20% 80% 20% 80% 10% 90% 20% 80% 35% 65% Incentive Programs for Sponsors of Riders 9% 91% 10% 90% 0% 100% 20% 80% 6% 94% Alternate Sources of Revenue 32% 68% 30% 70% 43% 57% 40% 60% 18% 82% Creative Budgeting 30% 70% 24% 76% 33% 67% 47% 53% 29% 71% Other Management and Administrative Programs 19% 81% 18% 82% 24% 76% 20% 80% 18% 82% TABLE 14 SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY COORDINATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE TABLE 15 INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT OR ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS USED IN ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE

stations, paths, and facilities (57%); stop accessibility (58%); and public information (75%) for riders with disabilities using their fixed-route services. In particular, an especially high percentage (92%) of the “Very Large” respondents reported providing improvements in public information for riders with disabilities using their fixed-route services. Providing improve- ments in stop accessibility also ranks very high (85%) among “Very Large” operators, whereas “Small” respondents (under 250 trips) were evenly split on whether they provided improved stop accessibility and design guidelines for improved accessi- bility for stations, paths, and facilities. A minority of all respondents provides or helps with improvements in path accessibility (41%). “Large” operators were evenly split on providing such improvements for riders with disabilities using their fixed-route services. Analysis of reported fixed-route improvements in station and stop visual and audio communications for riders with dis- abilities revealed a different response pattern. Here the overall response was split evenly among all respondents. However, the “Small” and “Medium” operations generally do not or have 16 not provided fixed-route improvements in station and stop visual and audio communications for riders with disabilities, whereas the “Large” and “Very Large” operations reported that they generally have done so (60% of “Large,” 77% of “Very Large”). Question 41—Does Your Transit Agency Provide Any of the Following Fixed-Route Incentives for Your Riders with Disabilities? Question 42—Please Include Any Comments on Your Fixed-Route Incentive Responses Here. Table 17 shows that a majority of all respondents reported providing reduced or no fare for ADA-certified riders and/or attendants as a fixed-route incentive for riders with disabilities (68%). The percentages were extremely high among the “Large” (90%) and “Very Large” (92%) operations. The vast majority of respondents with “Large” operations (90%) conduct targeted marketing to persons with disabilities. This differs greatly from the other three groups, whose use of targeted marketing ranged from 31% to 35%. Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Vehicle Accessibility 81% 19% 75% 25% 88% 12% 80% 20% 92% 8% Design Guidelines for Improved Accessibility for Stations, Paths, Facilities 57% 43% 50% 50% 65% 35% 60% 40% 69% 31% Stop Accessibility 58% 42% 50% 50% 59% 41% 60% 40% 85% 15% Path Accessibility 41% 59% 42% 58% 35% 65% 50% 50% 38% 62% Public Information 75% 25% 67% 33% 88% 12% 70% 30% 92% 8% Station/Stop Visual and Audio Communications 50% 50% 42% 58% 47% 53% 60% 40% 77% 23% Other Fixed-Route Improvements 36% 64% 35% 65% 29% 71% 50% 50% 38% 62% TABLE 16 INNOVATIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN FIXED-ROUTE POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RIDERS WITH DISABILITIES TABLE 17 INNOVATIVE FIXED-ROUTE INCENTIVE POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RIDERS WITH DISABILITIES Overall Small Medium Large Very Large Policy/Practice Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Reduced or No Fare for ADA-Certified Rider and/or Attendant 68% 32% 56% 44% 71% 29% 90% 10% 92% 8% Targeted Marketing to Persons with Disabilities 40% 60% 33% 67% 35% 65% 90% 10% 31% 69% Other Fixed-Route Incentives 24% 76% 19% 81% 35% 65% 50% 50% 8% 92%

17 SUMMARY The majority of all respondents, whether analyzed in total or grouped by average weekday total paratransit trips, reported that they use the following policies and practices in their para- transit services: • Conditional eligibility and • Periodic recertification. Most survey respondents also noted that they provide or help with the following policies and practices for riders with disabilities using their fixed-route services: • Vehicle accessibility improvements, • Public information improvements, and • Reduced or no fare incentives for ADA-certified rider and/or attendant. There are several areas where analysis of survey results by average weekday total paratransit trips highlights distinct dif- ferences in paratransit policies and practices among the groups of respondents. The majority of respondents with “Small” operations reported that they do not conduct travel training or have special service monitoring policies and practices in place for their para- transit services, unlike their larger counterparts. The “Small” systems are less likely to provide or help with fixed-route improvements in design guidelines for improved accessibility for stations, paths, facilities, or stop accessibility. However, they are somewhat more likely than “Medium,” “Large,” or “Very Large” agencies to coordinate program schedules with social service agencies for more efficient schedules. Respondents with “Large” operations are different from operations both larger and smaller in the use of several poli- cies and practices. They are the only size group with a major- ity using trip-by-trip eligibility and feeder service to/from a fixed route. They are also the only group with a majority pro- viding targeted marketing to persons with disabilities as a fixed-route incentive. Respondents with “Very Large” operations reported the highest use of innovative service monitoring programs, the highest use of incentive programs for riders, and the highest use of taxi services.

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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.

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