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27 <br /> Chapter 1: Current Conditions <br /> ADA Paratransit Services <br /> When requested, OPT will provide complementary paratransit services for the Hillsborough <br /> Circulator Bus and the mid-day Hillsborough-Chapel Hill route to meet ADA requirements. <br /> The ADA paratransit service is provided within 3/4 -mile of the fixed routes and on the same <br /> days and hours of operation. The service is available to persons who are unable to board, <br /> ride or alight from accessible fixed route service vehicles because of their disability; persons <br /> who could use accessible vehicles on the fixed route service but the vehicles used are not <br /> accessible; or persons who cannot travel to or from a bus stop because their disability <br /> prevents it. <br /> ADA complementary paratransit services are only provided to persons who have been <br /> certified as to their eligibility for the service and there is a formal eligibility certification <br /> process. Applicants must complete an application and OPT's policy calls for the <br /> determination to be made on a functional basis based on certification of the disability status <br /> by a certified or licensed professional. OPT has an adopted ADA policy that addresses the <br /> eligibility, services, visitor arrangements, appeals process, scheduling, no-show policy and <br /> public participation process. The route maps shown on the previous pages show the ADA <br /> service area around each of the current routes and the ADA service area for the proposed <br /> routes is discussed in Chapter 4.ADA service is only provided within the 3/4-mile area on <br /> either side of fixed route, fixed schedule services, not on route deviation services. Under <br /> Federal Transit Administration policy, route deviation services are considered demand <br /> response if any passenger can request a deviation and therefore do not require ADA <br /> complementary paratransit. <br /> OPT provides ADA complementary paratransit for the fixed route services it operates, at the <br /> same times that fixed route service is available. For the Orange-Chapel Hill Midday <br /> Connector, the ADA service provided by OPT is only available during the mid-day period; <br /> OPT does not provide ADA coverage during the service hours operated by the peak-only <br /> GoTriangle Route 42o. Although OPT is allowed to charge twice the fixed route fare for ADA <br /> complementary paratransit, the policy has the same $z fare for both general public fixed <br /> route and ADA complementary paratransit riders. The OPT ADA service area overlaps that <br /> of Chapel Hill Transit, but typically riders within that area use Chapel Hill's ADA service <br /> because it is fare -free. <br /> Demand Response Services <br /> OPT operates demand response services focusing on the elderly (age 6o and above) and <br /> persons with disabilities. Door-to-door transportation is provided for non-emergency <br /> medical trips with two working days' notice. Many of the trip destinations are in the Chapel <br /> Hill and Carrboro jurisdictions, with some additional out-of-county service provided to <br /> Durham. The ridership on the demand response services includes both agency clients and <br /> KFH <br /> NCDOT Orange County 11 <br /> Transit Assessment Study <br />