Offers information from selected transit agencies about the operational practices used to provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services and identifies factors perceived by transit personnel to have influenced the selection of service delivery methodology. It focuses on the state of the practice in paratransit contracting and service delivery methods to comply with ADA paratransit provisions.
"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 76: Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Transit Services explores the experiences of transit agencies that have attempted to depart from the traditional binary model of separate fixed-route and paratransit services by seeking a variety of ways to integrate their services. Options examined in the report include the provision of paratransit feeder services, community bus or circulators, connectors, fixed-route fare incentives, and route deviation"--Publisher's description
"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 74: Policies and Practices for Effectively and Efficiently Meeting ADA Paratransit Demand highlights policies and practices that transit agencies may be able to apply to their own paratransit services, often without the need to devote significant funds, personnel, or other resources. The report also examines certain practices and technologies that are still under development or have not undergone extensive testing"--Publisher's description.
This synthesis documents current requirements for being a paratransit manager and actual experiences of current paratransit managers in their positions. Transit mangers, policy makers, educators, trainers, human resource directors, and stakeholders, as well as current and future paratransit professionals, will find the results valuable in determining action steps needed to enhance the profession and paratransit service delivery. In addition, it offers information from general managers, chief operating officers, and paratransit advisory committees about college degrees desired and guidance offered aspiring paratransit managers. Technology proficiency and knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act were identified as the most needed skills. College educations were recommended by a majority of the professionals, with business management identified as the most desirable area of study; however, aside from this, successes in the field were attributed to specifics such as ethics, customer relations, communications, management and supervision, and sensitivity.
Public transport systems in contemporary Sub-Saharan African cities are heavily reliant upon paratransit services. These services are defined as informal transportation which operates between the public and individual private spheres. In Africa paratransit is characterized by low quality of vehicles and chaotic management but it also provides cheap, accessible and flexible transport solutions for the urban poor. It is typically poorly regulated and operates as a set of informal businesses. A common result of weak public sector regulation and a fare strategy in which owners claim a fixed daily revenue target and drivers who keep the variable balance as income, is destructive competition and poor quality of service. There is an incontrovertible case for improving the quality, reliability and coverage of public transport systems, and some city governments have attempted to do so by initiating reform projects that envisage the phased replacement of paratransit operations with formalised bus rapid transit systems. In this book the authors argue that there are, however, path dependencies and constraints that limit the possible extent of public transport system reform. Paratransit operations also have some inherent advantages with respect to demand responsiveness and service innovation. Attempts to eradicate paratransit may be neither pragmatic nor strategic. Two future scenarios are likely: hybrid systems comprised of both paratransit and formally planned modes; and systems improved by upgrades and strengthened regulation of existing paratransit services. The business strategies and aspirations of incumbent paratransit operators in three case cities – Cape Town, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi – are discussed, as well as their attitudes towards emerging public transport reform projects. International experiences of hybrid system regulation and paratransit business development are reviewed in order to explore policy options. The authors contend that policies recognising paratransit operators, and seeking contextually appropriate complementarity with formalised planned services, will produce greater benefits than policies ignoring their continued existence.
This report provides a sketch planning model and regional models to (1) improve the ability of metropolitan planning organizations and transit operators to estimate the probable future demand for Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) complementary paratransit service; and (2) predict travel by ADA paratransit-eligible individuals on all modes, not just ADA paratransit. All model parameters and coefficients are contained in this report and a fully implemented version is available on the enclosed CD-ROM, CRP-CD-121. This report will be of interest to regional, state, and federal agencies that oversee, plan, or finance public transportation; public transportation systems that provide ADA complementary paratransit services; and advocates for people with disabilities.
"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 160: Paratransit Emergency Preparedness and Operations Handbook includes guidance, strategies, tools, and resources to help paratransit service providers plan and prepare for, respond to, and recover from a range of emergencies. The guidance has applicability to urban, suburban, rural, and tribal paratransit operating environments. The project that developed TCRP Report 160 also a PowerPoint presentation describing the entire project. A link to the HTML version of TCRP Report 160 will be available on this site by the second week of March 2013."--Pub. info.
