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ORANGE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ADA PARATRANSIT PLAN 2 5) Service must be made available to eligible persons on a next-day basis; and 6) There can be no constraints on the amount of service that is provided to any eligible person. Specifically, there can be no operating practice that significantly limits the availability of service to ADA-paratransit-eligible individuals. ADA paratransit service must be provided to all individuals who are unable, because of their disability, to use the fixed-route system, some of the time or all of the time. The criteria for determining eligibility are also regulated by the ADA, and Orange Public Transportation (OPT) must have a documented process in place to determine if an individual qualifies for ADA service. Who is Entitled to ADA Paratransit Services? There are three (3) major categories of individuals who are required to be served based upon their functional disability interacting with conditions of the service and surrounding environment: 1) Persons who are unable to board, ride, or disembark from accessible fixed-route vehicles as a result of their disability. 2) Persons who could use accessible fixed-route services, but such services are being operated using vehicles that are not fully accessible. 3) Persons who cannot travel to or from a bus stop because their disability prevents it. It is important to emphasize that only those persons who are prevented from using fixed- route services because of their disability are required to be served by ADA paratransit, rather than individuals who would have difficulty using fixed-route services but could, in fact, use it. Within the ADA paratransit requirements, there are also provisions relating to the transportation of personal care attendants, other traveling companions, and persons visiting from other areas. Difference Between ADA Paratransit and Other Types of Paratransit Services Provided by OPT: ADA paratransit is quite different from other types of demand-response and specialized transit services provided by OPT in that its service parameters are highly prescribed by federal regulation. ADA paratransit is required only for a narrowly defined population of individuals who are unable to use fixed-route service because of their disability, unlike OPT’s Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (EDTAP), which serves any elderly person 60 years of age or older or any individual with a disability. EDTAP-funded services also only provide transportation to medical appointments as opposed to trips for other purposes, which is required of federal regulations pertaining to ADA paratransit. 10 ReturntoAgenda