U.S. Department of Transportation-Notice of Petition for Rulemaking-Service Criteria for Complementary Paratransit Fares
U.S. Department of Transportation Notice of Petition for Rulemaking:
Comments are requested on the method of calculating trip fares for eligible ADA complementary paratransit customers. Comments must be submitted bySeptember 21, 2015.
Notice of Petition for Rulemaking - Comments Sought
The U.S. Department of Transportation seeks comments on a petition for rule-making proposed by Access Services, a complementary paratransit provider in Los Angeles County, California, regarding the method of calculating trip fares for eligible ADA complementary paratransit customers.
Key Factors:
Current regulation 49 CFR 37.131 Service Criteria for Complementary Paratransit, paragraph (c) states, "Fares. The fare for a trip charged to an ADA paratransit eligible user of the complementary paratransit service shall not exceed twice the fare that would be charged to an individual paying full fare (i.e., without regard to discounts) for a trip of similar length, at a similar time of day, on the entity's fixed route system."
- Access Services is proposing an addition to this language that would:
- Apply to entities coordinating paratransit service for 20 or more fixed-route agencies;
- Allow the calculation of fixed-route fare based on a regional average; and
- Fix the cap on the ADA complementary paratransit fare not to exceed twice the regional average for fixed-route trips.
The U.S. DOT seeks input from both customers and providers of paratransit services. From customers, particular questions to answer include:
- Would a more simplified tiered fare system, set by the local transit agencies, be beneficial to individuals with disabilities using public transportation in regions with multiple fixed-route providers?
- Would any tiered system need to be capped at a certain amount (e.g., twice the fare on a comparable fixed route trip)?
- How many tiers would be unmanageable for individuals with disabilities?
Questions for providers include:
- How do these paratransit providers, particularly in regions with many fixed-route operators, currently determine fares in order to comply with the Department's current regulations?
- What procedures or best practices do they use?
- What challenges do ADA complementary paratransit providers face in setting fares under the current regulations?
- How many fixed-route providers do you coordinate with?
Submission of Comments
- The comment period is open untilSeptember 21, 2015.
- All comments should include the docket number: DOT-OST-2015-0075
- Comments may be submitted as follows:
- Online at:http://www.regulations.gov
- Via telefax at202-493-2251
- Via U.S. mail at Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001
- By hand to:
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West Building, U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Eastern, Monday through Friday except federal holidays.
***Thanks to the Great Lakes ADA Center (http://www.adagreatlakes.org/)for providing us with this information.
