The Future of Paratransit Services

Many people around Chicago are aware of Paratransit services but are not fully familiar with Paratransit and the full range of service provided in the region. Simply put, Paratransit is a service available to individuals with disabilities or health conditions that are unable to use an established public transportation system. ADA Paratransit is mandated by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide accessible, origin-to-destination transportation service within ¾ of a mile of fixed route bus service. “Dial-a-ride” Paratransit is not mandated by the federal government, but is a service offered by transit agencies (such as Pace), community groups, non-profits, or the private sector to passengers that travel outside of the federally mandated service area. Around the world, Paratransit helps people get to where they need to go by providing a flexible and accessible form of transportation.

In 2006, Pace inherited the responsibility of all public Paratransit services in the Chicago region. Operating the largest and most expensive Paratransit service in the country, Pace provided more than 2.5 million trips in 2007 for over 40,000 registered passengers and maintained a fleet of 358 buses. To accommodate the increase in ridership and better manage its regional Paratransit services, Pace launched a new automated system this past March - in line with some of the most innovative Paratransit services around the world. While new technology can often create unforeseeable problems, by mid-May Pace had a 95 percent on-time record, better than any train or bus fixed-route system in the region.

However, Pace has a funding shortfall of $61 million for Paratransit services in its five-year capital plan. One of the reasons for the funding gap is due to the reality that federal funding for ADA Paratransit is not available the way it is for fixed-route services. This funding shortfall needs to be met, otherwise Pace would be forced to cut service, thereby limiting the options of 40,000 people who use Paratransit in the region.

Photo: Pace Paratransit Services

NEWS

Local News

Watch your wallets – Chicago Tribune, “If a project couldn’t show it fulfilled specific goals, such as relieving congestion or promoting safety, it wouldn’t qualify. This would provide a transparent and objective way to week out the parade floats from the highway plans.”

Road, bridge repairs only priorities for state highway funds – Chicago Tribune, “Resurfacing pothole-scarred roads and shoring up crumbling bridges will be the main focus of the state’s six-year highway plan, despite an equally urgent need to expand the transportation system to head off a looming congestion crisis, officials said Thursday.”

Now, what projects get the transportation funds? – Daily Herald, “Road projects that affect multiple towns, roadways that reduce residents’ drive times and creative ideas would be first in line for new county transportation funds, according to a plan presented Friday.”

More trouble than $15 a bag… - Chicago Tribune, “The U.S. Department of Transportation should change its rules, which require landing fees to be based on the weight of the plane, so airports can experiment with different formats.”

List of major state transportation projects – Chicago Tribune, “The following major projects are tentatively scheduled during FY 2009-2014: Northeastern Illinois”

Lawmakers: Regulators shouldn’t speed up railway purchase – Chicago Tribune, “Indiana’s two U.S. senators and a congressman are fighting Canadian National Railway’s request to speed up the federal review of its proposed purchase of a rail line through northwestern Indiana.”

US rails face congestion 'calamity' – The Courier News, “Railway executive Matthew Rose stood before fellow industry leaders, pointing to a map meant to tell the future of the U.S. rail freight network. It was drenched in red -- east to west, north to south.”

World News

Why U.S. Highways Are Falling Into Private Equity Hands – Wall Street Journal, “But one thing government is not good at is managing public infrastructure: toll roads, airports, public utilities. That’s why private equity firms are raising billions of dollars to take over those assets.”

Teeth Gritted, Drivers Adjust to $4 Gasoline – New York Times, “Americans have started trading their gas guzzlers for smaller cars, making fewer trips to the mall, and wherever possible, riding public transportation to work.”

March driving down for the 1^st time since 1979 – Reuters, “According to the Department of Transportation, Americans drive 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than a year earlier, the first time estimated travel on public roads fell in March since 1979.”

Rapid Buses May Be Expanded – Washington Post, “Metro is proposing to add rapid-bus service on 18 crowded bus corridors across the region during the next six years to speed travel times and increase reliability.”

Gas-tax hike, tolls during rush hour may be in future – Salt Lake Tribune, “Utahns would need to pay up to 40 cents per gallon in state gas tax and face a varying toll to drive during rush hours to cover transportation needs, say some state leaders.”

Stranded in Suburbia – New York Times, “Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin – but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.”

U.S. Plans Steps to Ease Congestion at Airports – New York Times, “To hold down ticket prices and ease airplane congestion over the New York region, the Bush administration proposed Friday to auction landing slots at two major airports, Kennedy and Newark, and to impose a limit on airline traffic at Newark.”

Resources

Traffic Volume Trends, February 2008 – U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
How Well-Designed Transportation Projects Make Great Places – American Institute of Architects

Contact Information

For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Michael McLaughlin, Director of Regional Policy and Transportation, at mmclaughlin@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6022.