Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Transit Services (2008)

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31 Sec. 37.129 Types of Service (a) Except as provided in this section, complementary para- transit service for ADA paratransit eligible persons shall be origin-to-destination service. (b) Complementary paratransit service for ADA paratransit eligible persons described in Sec. 37.123(e)(2) of this part may also be provided by on-call bus service or paratransit feeder service to an accessible fixed-route, where such ser- vice enables the individual to use the fixed-route bus system for his or her trip. (c) Complementary paratransit service for ADA eligible per- sons described in Sec. 37.123(e)(3) of this part also may be provided by paratransit feeder service to and/or from an ac- cessible fixed-route. APPENDIX D TO PART 37—CONSTRUCTION AND INTERPRETATION OF PROVISIONS OF 49 CFR Part 37: Section 37.129 Types of Service The basic mode of service for complementary paratransit is de- mand responsive, origin-to-destination service. This service may be provided for persons in any one of the three eligibility cate- gories, and must always be provided to persons in the first cate- gory (e.g., people who cannot navigate the system). The local planning process should decide whether, or in what circumstances, this service is to be provided as door-to-door or curb-to-curb service. For persons in the second eligibility category (e.g., persons who can use accessible buses, but do not have an accessible bus route avail- able to take them to their destination), origin-to-destination service can be used. Alternatively, the entity can provide either of two other forms of service. One is on-call bus, in which the individual calls the provider and arranges for one or more accessible buses to arrive on the routes he needs to use at the appropriate time. On-call bus service must meet all the service criteria of Sec. 37.131, except that on-call buses run only on fixed-routes and the fare charged can be only the fixed-route fare that anyone pays on the bus (including discounts). The second option is “feeder paratransit” to an accessible fixed- route that will take the individual to his or her destination. Feeder paratransit, again, would have to meet all the criteria of Sec. 37.131. With respect to fares, the paratransit fare could be charged, but the individual would not be double charged for the trip. That is, having paid the paratransit fare, the transfer to the fixed-route would be free. For persons in the third eligibility category (e.g., persons who can use fixed-route transit but who, because of a specific impair- ment related condition, cannot get to or from a stop), the “feeder paratransit” option, under the conditions outlined above, is avail- able. For some trips, it might be necessary to arrange for feeder ser- vice at both ends of the fixed-route trip. Given the more complicated logistics of such arrangements, and the potential for a mistake that would seriously inconvenience the passenger, the transit provider should consider carefully whether such a “double feeder” system, while permissible, is truly workable in its system (as opposed to a simpler system that used feeder service only at one end of a trip when the bus let the person off at a place from which he or she could independently get to the destination). There may be some situations in which origin-to-destination service is easier and less expensive. APPENDIX A ADA Regulatory Language Pertaining to Feeder Service