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4 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />NORTH CAROLINA <br />ORANGE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ADA PARATRANSIT PLAN <br />5) Service must be made available to eligible persons on a next -day basis; and <br />6) There can be no constraints on the amount of service that is provided to any eligible <br />person. Specifically, there can be no operating practice that significantly limits the <br />availability of service to ADA - paratransit- eligible individuals. <br />ADA paratransit service must be provided to all individuals who are unable, because of their <br />disability, to use the fixed -route system, some of the time or all of the time. The criteria for <br />determining eligibility are also regulated by the ADA, and Orange Public Transportation <br />(OPT) must have a documented process in place to determine if an individual qualifies for <br />ADA service. <br />Who is Entitled to ADA Paratransit Services? <br />There are three (3) major categories of individuals who are required to be served based <br />upon their functional disability interacting with conditions of the service and surrounding <br />environment: <br />1) Persons who are unable to board, ride, or disembark from accessible fixed -route <br />vehicles as a result of their disability. <br />2) Persons who could use accessible fixed -route services, but such services are <br />being operated using vehicles that are not fully accessible. <br />3) Persons who cannot travel to or from a bus stop because their disability prevents <br />it. <br />It is important to emphasize that only those persons who are prevented from using fixed - <br />route services because of their disability are required to be served by ADA paratransit, <br />rather than individuals who would have difficulty using fixed -route services but could, in fact, <br />use it. Within the ADA paratransit requirements, there are also provisions relating to the <br />transportation of personal care attendants, other traveling companions, and persons visiting <br />from other areas. <br />Difference Between ADA Paratransit and Other Types of Paratransit Services Provided by <br />OPT. <br />ADA paratransit is quite different from other types of demand - response and specialized <br />transit services provided by OPT in that its service parameters are highly prescribed by <br />federal regulation. ADA paratransit is required only for a narrowly defined population of <br />individuals who are unable to use fixed -route service because of their disability, unlike <br />OPT's Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (EDTAP), which serves any <br />elderly person 60 years of age or older or any individual with a disability. EDTAP- funded <br />services also only provide transportation to medical appointments as opposed to trips for <br />other purposes, which is required of federal regulations pertaining to ADA paratransit. <br />2 <br />