IMPROVING ADA PARATRANSIT THROUGH A REVISED ADA PLAN

Preparing Americans With Disabilities (ADA) Act plans were a major effort of transit systems across the U.S. during the 1990s as systems worked to meet the deadline for compliance. Once finished, ADA plans were filed and often substantially forgotten as the day-to-day challenges of providing accessible fixed route service and ADA paratransit took precedence. Service delivery and policy concepts have evolved and changed in accessible transport over the years, but most agency ADA plans still reflect the prevailing wisdom and experience of the 1990s. Agencies seeking changes to either ADA paratransit or accessible fixed route service often find their efforts stymied by political and organizational obstacles. This paper discusses the process of revising an ADA plan, and outlines strategies transit agencies can use to effectively address their accessibility challenges primarily through partnership with the community in the ADA plan process to enhance service quality and mobility in a financially sound manner. A case study of a transit agency in Laredo, Texas, updating its ADA plan is provided and discussed as an example.