SUNDIAL DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICE RESPONDS BY GOING IN-HOUSE

The intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was to ensure that disabled individuals could be active participants in all aspects of society. Transportation entities play a key role in providing the paratransit services required to achieve this goal. Paratransit services can be expensive to provide, difficult to deliver on time, and fraught with customer complaints. On a national average, people who meet ADA requirements are forced to plan 7-14 days in advance of their transportation needs, a time frame likely to be unacceptable to most who need paratransit services. This paper summarizes the approach taken by SunLine Transit, an operator in the Coachella Valley in the Palm Springs, California area, to taking paratransit service in-house, and details how the agency turned ridership losses into phenomenal gains. The model is one that can be replicated by other agencies.