Federal Transit Administration November 4, 2015 Subject: americans with disabilities act (ada): guidance
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- Discussion
- 8.6.1Limits on Subscription Trips Under Certain Circumstances
- 8.7Exceeding Minimum Requirements (Premium Service)
- 8.8Complementary Paratransit Plans
8.6Subscription ServiceRequirement“[Part 37] does not prohibit the use of subscription service by public entities as part of a complementary paratransit system, subject to the limitations in this section” (§ 37.133(a)). “Subscription service may not absorb more than fifty percent of the number of trips available at a given time of day, unless there is non-subscription capacity” (§ 37.133(b)). “Notwithstanding any other provision of [Part 37], the entity may establish waiting lists or other capacity constraints and trip purpose restrictions or priorities for participation in the subscription service only” (§ 37.133(c)).
Traveling to work or school each weekday Traveling to dialysis or other medical appointments several times per week Traveling to religious services once per week After riders and transit agencies set up the subscription service, there is no need to make further arrangements until a rider’s travel needs change. Subscription service is helpful both to transit agencies and the riders who receive it. For agencies, such service provides predictability for a portion of their service, so they can assign these trips to vehicle runs in advance. Because riders only have to call once, subscription trips make traveling easier for riders and can lower call volumes for agencies. While subscription service is generally beneficial, requests may need to be reviewed for efficiency. Some trips may run counter to the typical travel flows and may then not be able to be effectively grouped with other requests. In addition, placement of subscription trips on the most efficient runs may also change over time. An optional good practice is to have schedulers regularly review requests for subscription service and to actively manage subscription trips that have been accepted. Subscription trips are still complementary paratransit trips. Even if transit agencies choose to reserve and schedule certain trips in this way, trips reserved and scheduled on a subscription basis remain subject to the regulatory requirements pertaining to service performance (e.g., agencies must ensure trip lengths are comparable to the fixed route and pickups are timely). 8.6.1Limits on Subscription Trips Under Certain CircumstancesSection 37.133(b) allows a transit agency to provide subscription service as any proportion of its total complementary paratransit service as long as it has capacity for demand trips (i.e., non-subscription trips). However, when agencies experience capacity constraints on particular days or times, then subscription service may not absorb more than 50 percent of the number of trips available at a given time of day. For example, if an agency only has the capacity to provide 50 complementary paratransit trips between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Mondays, then the number of subscription trips during that period is limited to 25, since capacity constraints are present during that hour. Some agencies limit subscription service to 50 percent of available capacity even if they never experience capacity constraints. 8.7Exceeding Minimum Requirements (Premium Service)Requirement“Public entities may provide complementary paratransit service to ADA paratransit eligible individuals exceeding that provided for in this section. However, only the cost of service provided for in this section may be considered in a public entity’s request for an undue financial burden waiver under §§ 37.151–37.155 of [Part 37]” (§ 37.131(g)). DiscussionThe following are examples of services that can be viewed as a form of premium service: Same-day trips “Will-call” trips Trips beyond the defined service area Trips before or after the established service hours Because premium services are optional under § 37.131(g) and otherwise do not fall under the complementary paratransit requirements, transit agencies may charge higher fares for premium service trips. For example, agencies may charge higher fares for trips requested on the same day of service. The exact fare for this extra service is a local decision. In addition, transit agencies have the option to limit premium service to certain types of trips, where such a distinction would not be allowed for standard complementary paratransit service. For example: An agency provides out-of-area service, but only for trips associated with appointments to regional medical centers. An agency’s regular service hours on weekdays begin at 5 a.m., but its complementary paratransit service makes earlier pickups for riders going to dialysis treatment. It is important to ensure that providing premium service does not lead to lower service quality for riders using the regular complementary paratransit service. For example, providing trips beyond the minimum service area is inadvisable if doing so might limit the service quality for trips within the 3/4-mile service area. FTA recommends that transit agencies obtain public input when developing premium services, particularly when imposing premium fares. For more information on exceeding minimum requirements, see FTA Bulletin “Premium Charges for Paratransit Services.”
An agency is starting up a new fixed route service that will require complementary paratransit service. A previously compliant transit agency has determined that it is falling short of compliance and reported the change in circumstances to FTA, as required. FTA determines or believes a transit agency may not be fully complying with all service criteria. FTA notes that transit agencies are required to implement complementary paratransit service at the same time they introduce new fixed route service; implementation of complementary paratransit at a later date is not permitted.
Directory: sites -> fta.dot.gov -> files -> docs docs -> Federal Transit Administration Safety Advisory 14-1: Right-of-Way Worker Protection docs -> Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Vehicle Incentives docs -> Job Access Reverse Commute (jarc) Program fy 2010 Service Profiles docs -> Review of the new jersey transit corporation docs -> Review of new Jersey Transit Corporation docs -> Review of the jacksonville transportation authority docs -> Jacksonville Transportation Authority Assessment of ada complementary Paratransit Service Capacity Constraints June 8-11, 1999 docs -> Final policy statement docs -> 1200 New Jersey Ave, se washington, dc 20590 Download 1.93 Mb. Share with your friends:
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