Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Transit Services. A Synthesis of Transit Practice

摘要

The goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is to promote the independence, integration, and self-sufficiency of people with disabilities. Consistent with these goals, ADA complementary paratransit services were intended to serve as a safety net for individuals who, even when the fixed-route transit service in their area is fully accessible, are not able to fully utilize this service owing to a disability. As such, promoting the integration of fixed-route and paratransit services, besides accomplishing cost-efficiencies, is fully congruent with the principles of the ADA (see Appendix A for the ADA regulatory language pertaining to feeder service). And yet, 18 years after the passage of the ADA, almost all transit systems in the United States continue to provide service based on the binary model of separate fixed-route and paratransit services. This study is intended to highlight the experiences of those systems that have attempted to depart from this model, by seeking a variety of ways to integrate their services. These include the provision of paratransit feeder services, community bus or circulators, connectors, fixed-route fare incentives, and route deviations. Since a previous synthesis study focused on the operational experiences with flexible transit services (Koffman 2004), this study places greater emphasis on feeder services and community circulators. However, where agencies have included other approaches to shifting potential paratransit riders to less costly modes, these also are discussed.