SPECIAL SERVICES
HANDBOOK
For Information,
Call The
Special Services Department
Phone - (610)
921-2361
Fax - (610)
921-0209
TDD - (610)
921-1018
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page #
What is the Americans With Disabilities Act? 3
How does the
Who is "
How
To Become Certified As Being "
Complimentary Paratransit
Service 4
Service Area For
Response Time 5
Attendant Policies 5
Fare Structure For "
Trip Purposes 5
Hours and Days of Service 6
What service is available for
non-ADA eligible paratransit clients? 6
Door-to Door Policy 6
Fare Structure For
Non-ADA Eligible Paratransit Clients 6
Capacity Constraints 7
Trip Cancellation 7
Shopping Trips 7
No Show Policy 7
Types of Service 7
Types of Vehicles Used for
Transportation 8
Pick - Up Times 8
Return Trips 8
Lift and Securement
Use 8
Accommodating Other Mobility
Devices And Life Support Equipment
9
Temporary Disabilities 9
Appeals Process For
Denial of "
Appeals Process For
Denial of Service Due to No-Shows 10
Winter Weather Tips 10
Visitors Policy-"ADA
Eligibility" 11
Relationship of
WHAT IS THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT?
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is
the end result of almost 20 years of debate on disability rights. It provides
the general framework and approach for ending discrimination for persons with
disabilities. The stated national goals of the ADA are to guarantee that
persons with disabilities have equality of opportunity, a chance to fully
participate in society, are able to live independently and can be economically
self-sufficient.
The ADA has five sections or Titles. An important part of Title II addresses
transportation provided by public systems. In general, the law prohibits public
transit systems from denying individuals with disabilities the opportunity to
use public transportation services, if the individuals are capable of using the
system. It also prohibits public
entities from providing services that discriminate against persons with
disabilities. Specific actions must be
taken by public transit agencies to avoid discrimination. For example, the law requires that:
1. All newly purchased or
leased vehicles used in fixed-route service must be accessible to persons with
disabilities. Meaning, they must be equipped with a wheelchair lift.
2. Public agencies which
provide fixed-route public transportation service also must offer similar paratransit services to individuals with disabilities who
are unable to use the fixed-route system
3. New facilities must be
accessible.
4. Alterations to facilities
must include features to make them accessible.
HOW DOES
THE ADA AFFECT SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PROVIDED BY BARTA?
BARTA shall provide complimentary paratransit service to individuals with disabilities that
is similar to the level of service provided to individuals without disabilities
who use the fixed-route bus system. In BARTA's case, providing paratransit
service that is comparable to BARTA's fixed-route
service has resulted in an expansion of paratransit
service hours to include longer service hours on weekdays and the addition of
service hours on weekday evenings and Saturdays, for those persons who are
"certified" as being "ADA eligible".
TO WHOM MUST COMPLIMENTARY PARATRANSIT SERVICES BE
PROVIDED?
ADA complimentary paratransit
service must be provided to all passengers certified as being "ADA
eligible" through BARTA's certification process.
The following three general categories of persons
with disabilities will be certified as being "ADA eligible":
1. "Any individual with a
disability who is unable, as a result of a physical or mental impairment
(including a visual impairment), and without the assistance of another
individual (except the operator of a wheelchair lift or other boarding
assistance device), to board, ride or disembark from an accessible vehicle in
the system. Included in this category
are individuals with mental or visual impairments who cannot navigate the
system.
2. Persons who cannot use
vehicles without lifts or accommodations.
These persons are eligible for paratransit
service if accessible fixed route vehicles are not available on the bus routes
in which they need to travel, when they need to travel. BARTA's
"Call-A-Lift Bus Program" eliminates any eligibility in this category
because it enables the scheduling of an accessible fixed-route vehicle on any
route in the BARTA system by calling (610) 921-0601.
3. Persons with specific
impairment related conditions that cannot travel to a boarding location or from
a disembarking location to their final destination. The condition must "prevent" the
person from using the fixed-route system. Conditions that make getting to the
bus stop "more difficult" do not grant eligibility. Second, architectural barriers (such as no
curb cuts) not under the control of BARTA, and environmental barriers (such as
distance, terrain, and weather) do not, when considered alone, confer
eligibility. If, however, travel to or from a boarding location is impossible
when these factors are combined with the person's specific impairment-related
condition, paratransit service will be provided.
HOW DO I
BECOME CERTIFIED AS BEING "ADA ELIGIBLE" FOR COMPLIMENTARY
PARATRANSIT SERVICE
Applications for certification as being "ADA
eligible" for BARTA's ADA Complimentary Paratransit service are available at BARTA's
Special Services Division Office, 1700 North 11th Street, Reading, PA,
19604. Phone: (610) 921-2361. Once the application is received, BARTA will
notify the applicant within 21 days of his/her eligibility status. If a determination has not been made within
21 days of receiving the completed application, the individual will be treated
as eligible and will be provided service until or unless BARTA denies the
application. You will receive a letter
verifying whether or not you are eligible.
Certification applications
are available to anyone who requests them.
SPECIFICALLY,
HOW DOES BARTA'S ADA COMPLIMENTARY PARATRANSIT SERVICE MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE AMERICANS DISABILITIES ACT REGULATIONS
Under BARTA's
Complimentary Paratransit Service Plan, the level of
service provided to persons determined to be "ADA eligible" is
similar to BARTA's fixed route bus service. Six service criteria are included in the
regulations. The following is a
description of how BARTA's Complimentary Paratransit Service meets or exceeds the six service
criteria:
SERVICE AREA:
ADA complimentary paratransit
service is provided to all origins and destinations within a certain service
area stated in the regulations. For
BARTA, the basic service is provided in an area centered on each fixed bus
route and extending 3/4 of a mile to either side of the route.
RESPONSE TIME:
As the law requires, requests for BARTA ADA
Complimentary Paratransit Service to certified
"ADA eligible" users on a particular day will be accommodated as long
as the reservation is made anytime during the previous day. Appointments can be made up to two weeks in
advance.
Requests for service will be taken during the hours
of 8 A.M. to 4 P.M., Monday through Saturday. BARTA uses an answering machine
device to take appointments on Saturdays.
It is important to remember that you must be certified as being
"ADA eligible" and be taking an "ADA eligible trip" BEFORE you can take advantage of the
previous day advance reservation request.
As stated in the regulations, pick up times will be
negotiated with "ADA eligible" users to make scheduling more
efficient. BARTA can require a change in the requested pick up time of up to
one hour. Any changes in pick up time
beyond one hour must be negotiated with the "ADA eligible" user.
ATTENDANT POLICIES:
Personal care attendants will be permitted to
accompany "ADA eligible" riders on "ADA eligible trips" at
no charge. BARTA will require that
individuals state the need for a personal care attendant when they request ADA
eligibility certification.
One escort will be allowed to accompany an "ADA
eligible" paratransit user on their ADA eligible
paratransit trip. More than one escort will be
allowed on a space available basis. A personal care attendant is not considered
to be "a escort". An escort is required to pay the applicable escort
fare.
Children, under the age of 18, may be required to be
escorted by a parent, guardian or another responsible adult.
FARES:
Fares charged for an "ADA eligible paratransit service trip" to "ADA eligible"
users will be twice the amount of the base cash fare paid by riders of the
BARTA fixed route system.
Sponsoring Agencies are billed
for trips from 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM. After
6:30 PM and all day Saturday, all clients pay the ADA fare for an ADA eligible
trip.
Fares paid by escorts of "ADA eligible"
users of BARTA's Special Services Division will be
calculated in the same way. Personal care attendants (PCA’s)
traveling with the ADA paratransit eligible rider
will not be charged, as defined in the regulations. Passengers must be listed as having a
personal care attendant when filing the necessary application for ADA
eligibility.
TRIP PURPOSES:
Requests for all types of
purposes for "ADA eligible" trips will be accepted.
HOURS AND DAYS OF SERVICE:
"ADA complimentary paratransit
service" to "ADA eligible" users of BARTA's
Special Services Division will be offered during the same days and hours that BARTA's fixed route bus system is in operation.
"ADA
Complimentary Paratransit Trips" can be taking
during the following times:
Weekdays:
5:00 AM to 6:40 PM
Weekday
Evenings: 6:15 PM to 10:40 PM
Saturdays: 5:50 AM to 10:40 PM
WHAT
SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT ADA ELIGIBLE FOR BARTA'S SPECIALIZED
TRANSPORTATION?
Those persons who use BARTA's
Special Services Division Transportation and who are denied "ADA
eligible" status will still have access to the paratransit
system, but be limited in the amount and kind of trips being taken on weekdays.
Depending on where you live, service may be limited to certain times and
days. A minimum of two working days
notice is needed prior to your appointment in order to schedule
transportation. Appointments can be made
two weeks in advance. BARTA will
maintain as much non-ADA service as possible within budget limitations. All
"ADA eligible" trips will be accommodated before any others.
DOOR TO DOOR POLICY
To ensure timely service, BARTA's
Special Services Division is responsible for providing door-to-door
service. Drivers have been instructed to
pick-up and drop off passengers at the front door of places of residence, at
the front door of the apartment buildings in which they live, or front door of
destination. It is the passenger's
responsibility to make arrangements for a personal care attendant to assist
them to or from the front door, as needed.
Our drivers have also been instructed to wait at a
residence for a period not to exceed five minutes from the scheduled pick-up
time. Please be ready to be transported
a few minutes ahead of schedule. If a
passenger is not ready at the scheduled pick-up time and the van driver leaves,
he or she will be instructed to continue with his regular schedule. A return
trip for that passenger will not be arranged.
WHAT FARE
WILL A NON-ADA ELIGIBLE USER OF THE PARATRANSIT SYSTEM BE REQUIRED TO PAY?
Fares charged to persons who are denied "ADA
eligibility" will be the regular paratransit
zone fares (less, if you qualify for agency funding).
Likewise, those persons who are certified as being
"ADA eligible", but are taking a trip beyond the corridor of 3/4 mile
on either side of a fixed bus route, will be charged the regular paratransit zone fare for their trip.
FARES FOR THE SPECIAL SERVICES DIVISION ARE BASED ON
A ZONE STRUCTURE WHICH CENTERS ON THE BERKS COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND EXPANDS
OUTWARD IN CONCENTRIC CIRCLES AT FIVE MILE INCREMENTS. THE FARE STRUCTURE
VARIES FROM ZONE TO ZONE. WHEN YOU
ARRANGE YOUR TRANSPORTATION, PLEASE ASK THE OFFICE STAFF TO TELL YOU THE COST
PER TRIP. EXACT FARE IS REQUIRED FOR EACH TRIP YOU TAKE.
CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS:
As defined in the regulations, BARTA will not limit
the amount of ADA eligible paratransit trips to ADA
eligible users of the transportation system.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL TRANSPORTATION FOR A
SCHEDULED TRIP?
Passengers should inform BARTA at (610) 921-2361 as
soon as possible to cancel any trips.
Cancellations can be made between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Try to call the day before if you feel you
will not be able to make your appointment.
We ask that all passengers be cooperative in reducing
cancellations. Cancellations are
disruptive to the overall operation....TODAY’S
CANCELLATION IS A TRIP THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED BY SOMEONE ELSE
YESTERDAY.
SHOPPING TRIPS
To ensure timely service, passengers are limited to two shopping bags. Drivers will assist passenger to the
front door of their place of residence or, if the passenger is a resident of an
apartment building, to the front door of the building. If you have more than two shopping bags, you
will be required to carry them yourself.
Passengers are welcome to bring a collapsible shopping cart on board the
vehicle.
NO-SHOW POLICY:
BARTA has the right to suspend paratransit
service, for a reasonable period of time, to individuals who consistently miss
scheduled appointments. This provision does not apply to trips that are missed
for reasons that are beyond the individual's control. If notice is given far enough in advance to
allow BARTA to reroute the vehicle, the trip will be recorded as being
canceled.
TYPES OF SERVICE:
BARTA's Complimentary Paratransit Service for "ADA eligible" users will
be origin-to-destination service.
This means that the law addresses your ability to get to within
3/4 of a mile on either side of a fixed route, rather than your residing within
3/4 of a mile on either side of a fixed route.
If you can get to within 3/4 of a mile on either side of a fixed bus
route, than you can take an ADA eligible trip within that corridor.
BARTA's Complimentary Paratransit Service may also be provided to ADA eligible
individuals by paratransit feeder service to and/or
from an accessible fixed route, where such service enables the individual to
use the fixed route bus system for his or her trip.
Paratransit feeder service refers to
providing an individual with paratransit service for
only that portion of their trip that they cannot manage.
BARTA's Paratransit
service will be provided for an entire trip in all but the following cases:
*If an individual is able to use an accessible bus,
but the closest fixed route is not accessible, feeder service may be provided
to another accessible fixed route.
*If a person is not able to get to a station or stop
because of a specific impairment related condition, feeder service may be
provided.
When feeder service is provided by BARTA, the total
fare for the entire trip will not exceed the equivalent origin-to destination paratransit fare charged to an "ADA eligible"
user.
WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE WILL BE USED FOR
TRANSPORTATION?
Either a BARTA van or a contractor vehicle will be
used to transport you to and/or from your appointment. All arrangements for transportation are made
by BARTA.
WHAT TIME WILL I BE PICKED UP FOR MY APPOINTMENT?
Clients will be given an approximate time of pick-up
when calling to make an appointment.
Passengers must be ready to go at the pre-arranged time and place. Please be ready to be transported a few
minutes ahead of schedule. There may be times
when traffic and road conditions may delay your vehicle.
HOW WILL I GET A RETURN TRIP AFTER MY APPOINTMENT?
When arranging for your transportation, try to
schedule a return time at a pre-arranged place.
This will help eliminate waiting for a driver to become available to
take you home. If an approximate return
time is not known, call 610-929-4710 when ready to return.
THIS PHONE LINE IS FOR IMMEDIATE RETURN TRIPS ONLY.
ABSOLUTELY NO APPOINTMENTS WILL BE SCHEDULED ON THIS
LINE.
LIFT AND SECUREMENT USE:
In accordance with the regulations, BARTA will
provide service to all "common wheelchairs" and their users. A common
wheelchair is a wheelchair that does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48
inches in length measured two inches above the ground, and does not weigh more
than 600 pounds when occupied. Wheelchairs are defined to include three-wheeled
and four-wheeled mobility aids. Three-wheeled "scooters" and other
non-traditional designs will be transported. Please be advised – drivers are not permitted to operate a scooter or
electric wheelchair onto the lift. The
passenger is responsible for getting onto the lift with driver assistance.
Use of the securement
system on BARTA vehicles will be required as a condition of receiving service. However, complimentary paratransit service will not be denied on the grounds that
a mobility device cannot be secured to BARTA's
satisfaction.
When transporting users of three-wheeled wheelchairs or other mobility devices, BARTA can request that the passenger transfer into a bus seat. The rider, in this case, has the final decision as to whether a transfer is appropriate given their particular disability.
As the regulations require, a person who cannot
enter the vehicle using the stairs, but who does not use a wheelchair, will be
allowed to enter the vehicle using the lift.
ACCOMMODATING
OTHER MOBILITY DEVICES AND LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT:
In accordance with ADA regulations, all paratransit riders will be permitted to travel with service
animals trained to assist them. Service
animals include guide dogs used by persons with vision or hearing impairments,
and dogs and other animals that provide aid to persons with mobility impairments.
Persons will also be permitted to travel with
respirators, portable oxygen and other life support equipment. Travel with this
equipment will only be denied if it violates rules concerning the
transportation of hazardous materials.
IF I HAVE A
TEMPORARY DISABILITY, WILL I BE ELIGIBLE FOR COMPLIMENTARY PARATRANSIT SERVICE?
Any individual with a temporary disability, for the
purpose of determining "ADA eligibility" will be subject to the same
standards as those with permanent disabilities. Certification of eligibility in
such cases will be subject to a specific expiration date.
CAN I
OBTAIN REVIEW OF THE DENIAL IF MY "ADA ELIGIBILITY" HAS BEEN DENIED?
BARTA has established an administrative appeals
process through which an individual who has been denied ADA paratransit
eligibility can obtain review of the denial.
1. Appeal of the denial to
certify an individual ADA paratransit eligible must
be filed within 60 days of written notification of the determination of
eligibility.
2. Upon receipt of the denial,
BARTA will provide the individual with the opportunity to be heard and to
present information and arguments to an individual not involved with the
initial decision to deny eligibility. BARTA will again provide written
determination as to the decision made upon completion of the appeals process
and the reasons for it.
3. BARTA is not required to
provide paratransit service to the individual pending
the determination of the appeal. If the final determination is not made within
30 days of the completion of the appeal process, BARTA will provide paratransit service from that time until and unless a
decision to deny the appeal is issued.
CAN I APPEAL THE SUSPENSION OF MY TRANSPORTATION
SERVICE
DUE TO NO-SHOWS?
BARTA has the right to suspend service to an
individual who, for reasons within his or her control, has a practice of
missing scheduled trips.
Before suspending service, BARTA will take the
following steps:
1. After a client has missed
two scheduled trips for reasons within his/her control, BARTA will notify the individual
in writing of the proposal to suspend service and the proposed sanction.
2. BARTA will provide the
individual with the opportunity to be heard and to provide information and
arguments contrary to the proposal to suspend service.
3. Upon giving the individual
the opportunity to be heard and to provide information and arguments contrary
to the proposal to suspend service, BARTA will provide notification of the
decision and the reasons for it.
4. Appeal of the decision to
suspend service to an individual must be filed within 60 days of written
notification of the decision to suspend service.
5. Upon receipt of the denial,
BARTA will provide the individual with the opportunity to be heard and to
present information and arguments to an individual not involved with the
initial decision to suspend service to the individual. BARTA will again provide
written determination as to the decision made upon completion of the appeals
process and the reasons for it.
WINTER WEATHER TIPS
1. Check the local radio stations to make sure that Special Services will be operating.
The local radio stations reporting for BARTA are WIOV (105.1 FM), WEEU (830 AM),
WRFY (102.5 FM), and WRAW (1320 AM).
2. Call Special Service at (610) 921-2361 as soon as possible to cancel any trips.
3. Please make sure that a path
from your front door to the street is clear of ice and snow. If there is not a safe path to the vehicle,
the drivers have been instructed not to provide transportation. This is for your safety as well as the
driver.
4. Please be ready a few minutes earlier than your originally scheduled pick-up time, just in case the driver does arrive early.
CAN A
VISITOR TO BERKS COUNTY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COMPLIMENTARY PARATRANSIT SERVICE
FOR ADA ELIGIBLE USERS?
In accordance with the federal regulations published
by the United Stated Department of Transportation, BARTA will make
complimentary paratransit service available to any
individual with disabilities who does not reside in the jurisdiction served by
BARTA or other entities that work with BARTA to provide coordinated
complimentary paratransit service.
BARTA will treat as eligible all visitors who
present documentation that they are ADA eligible under the ADA paratransit eligibility criteria in the jurisdiction in
which they reside.
All visitors requesting complimentary paratransit service in the jurisdiction in which BARTA
provides service, who do not present such documentation, will be required by
BARTA to show documentation of the individual's place of residence and
documentation of his or her disability, provided it is not apparent. BARTA shall accept certification from such an
individual, that he or she is unable to utilize fixed route transit service.
BARTA will provide complimentary paratransit
service to said visitor, who does not have documentation that they are ADA
eligible, for no more than 21 days from the first day of service to such an
individual. In order to receive service
beyond the 21-day period, the visitor will be required by BARTA to apply for
eligibility under the process for determining ADA paratransit
eligibility that the authority has established.
WHAT IS THE
RELATIONSHIP OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT TO SECTION 504 OF THE
REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973?
Passage of the ADA and the printing of required
regulations changed many parts of public disability policy previously
established under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Several changes in transportation policy have been
made. The ADA no longer allows public systems
providing general public transportation the choice of either making their fixed
route systems accessible or providing separate paratransit
service for people with disabilities.
Admission to fixed route systems is required. Under the ADA, paratransit
is not a substitute for fixed route service but an addition for those who are
unable to use the fixed-route system.
The general requirement of Section 504, that systems
not discriminate against persons with disabilities as a condition of
eligibility for federal funding, still exists. Rather the two laws are related.
**All material made available to applicants and
users of BARTA's Special Services Division will be
provided in accessible formats upon request
**Those persons who would like to learn how to use the lift-equipment on an accessible fixed-route bus can do so on a vehicle that is not in regular service. Whenever possible, BARTA will try to make available a demonstration, which you could attend, and will arrange specialized transportation services to such sites for those who need it. BARTA staff may be able to accompany you on all or part of your first trip if advance arrangements are made.
Revised 9/1/2005