MTA scales back paratransit service to save $1.2M

    Like all other branches of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Long Island Bus had to proposed service reductions, eliminations and changes to help the agency close an $800 million budget gap in 2010. Among its bus and rail road service reduction proposals, Long Island Bus suggested some services to its Able-Ride program, which serves disabled Long Island residents, be curbed.    Among the proposed cuts to Able-Ride is the elimination of service for those who live more than three-quarters of a mile from a fixed bus route. Previously, Able-Ride provided service to and from all areas of Nassau County, beyond the jurisdictional boundaries set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
    Able-Ride estimated that in 2009, about 9 percent of all its trips - some 32,000 trips — were made to and from areas that do not fall under ADA coverage requirements.
    Another area in which Able-Ride went the extra mile was feeder service. It provided door-to-door service for all trips, even though ADA regulations require paratransit service for certain eligible people to be provided through a feeder service to and from an accessible fixed route.
    To save money, Long Island Bus decided to curb the service, providing Able-Ride transportation to or from a person’s house to a fixed route, as opposed to his or her final destination. Those who live within a certain distance of a fixed route and are able to walk there would not be eligible for the feeder service. The agency would evaluate paths to and from fixed routes to determine whether they are passable and accessible.
    “The proposal is to have paratransit service connect customers to fixed-route service whenever possible, so that the customer uses fixed-route bus, rail or subway service for at least a portion of the trip,” Long Island Bus President Joseph Smith wrote in a memo to staff.

    According to Able-Ride estimates, about 1 percent (3,500 trips) of annual scheduled trips can use paratransit feeder service.
    Able-Ride is also proposing changing eligibility requirements for those who receive conditional service based on weather or at the time of the trip. Eligibility would now be determined on a trip-by-trip basis rather than by season. Able-Ride plans to do this using medically established temperature ranges and the National Weather Service forecast for the day of the scheduled trip, which could be up to a week after the trip request is made.
    The change would cut about 500 trips annually, according to Able-Ride projections.
    The agency would make two additional non-service-related changes, which, when coupled with the service reductions, are expected to save about $1.2 million this year. According to the memo, Able-Ride would begin using car or livery service for some people — a change that would affect some 1,800 trips throughout 2010. It also plans to begin applying more rigorous procedures to determine ADA eligibility, which Able-Ride predicts would cut about 2,900 annual trips.