What is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?
What is Complementary Paratransit Service?
What constitutes a disability?
Who can use Complementary Paratransit Service?
Am I eligible for complementary paratransit service if I have a temporary disability?
Is my Ventura County ADA card good outside Ventura County?
When and where does ADA Complementary Service operate?
Is there any limit on how often you ride or where you go?
How much will my transportation cost?
Can a friend or personal care attendant travel with me?
What level of assistance can I expect from the driver?
How do I use ADA paratransit to get back and forth between Ventura County and Los Angeles?
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a Federal law which provides comprehensive civil rights entitlement for individuals with disabilities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, public services, transportation, public accommodations and telecommunications.
In the transportation section of the ADA, the law requires that fixed-route transportation systems must be accessible to persons with disabilities. However, the law provides for Complementary Paratransit Service if the buses are not accessible or if your disability or condition prevents you from using fixed-route public transportation.
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What is Complementary Paratransit Service? Complementary paratransit is a curb-to-curb transportation system, like a dial-a-ride, or shared ride service, or a car pool which operates at the same time and to the same places as fixed-route buses.
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What constitutes a disability? The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. Major life activities include caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working.
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Who can use Complementary Paratransit Service? To become eligible for Complementary Paratransit Service, an individual must be unable to use fixed-route bus service because:
- they are unable to board, ride, or disembark an accessible vehicle;
- the disability or condition prevents travel to or from a bus stop
Individuals will be required to fill out an application and describe their disability or condition that prevents them from using fixed-route bus service. The disability or condition must meet ADA criteria for certification. If certified, they will be issued an identification card indicating ADA eligibility. If certification is denied, an appeals process is available.
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Am I eligible for complementary paratransit service if I have a temporary disability? Individuals may be eligible for ADA, paratransit service on the basis of either a permanent or a temporary disability. For individuals with temporary disabilities, eligibility will expire at the end of the disability.
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If I currently have a Disabled parking placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles, do I qualify under the ADA? Not necessarily. The criteria for the parking placard are much broader than ADA requirements. ADA requires certification that a person has a disability which prevents that person from using fixed-route bus service.
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Is my Ventura County ADA card good outside Ventura County? Yes. You may request visitor’s privileges in any area served by an ADA paratransit provider. Before you travel outside the county, contact the ADA service provider in the area you’ll be visiting for their service provisions and policies and fax number.
A week in advance of your travel, call your certification coordinator and ask to have your eligibility information faxed to the other operator if they require it. Visitor’s privileges are valid for 21 consecutive or non-consecutive days per year.
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When and where does ADA Complementary Service operate? Each transit provider in the county has different schedules and hours of service. To find out about the paratransit service in your area, call the Ventura County Transit Information Center, Dial-A-Route, at 1-800-438-1112.
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Is there any limit on how often you ride or where you go? No, there is no limit on the number of trips provided to an ADA paratransit eligible individual. You may ride anywhere within the ADA service area.
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How much will my transportation cost? The charge for paratransit service cannot exceed twice the amount that an individual paying full fare would be charged for a trip of similar length. For example, if a one-way bus trip costs $.75, the paratransit fare would be $1.50 one way.
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Can a friend or personal care attendant travel with me? Service will be provided to a personal care attendant and to one additional guest (check with provider for space availability). However, the personal care attendant must be registered as such during the certification process. Additional individuals will be provided service on a space-available basis if it will not result in denying service to ADA paratransit eligible individuals. Accompanying individuals must have the same origin and destination as the eligible individual. The fare for a guest will be the same as for the ADA eligible customer. There is no charge for a required personal care attendant.
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What level of assistance can I expect from the driver? The level of assistance available from the driver varies, depending on whether the paratransit system is “curb-to-curb” or “door-to-door”. On a curb-to-curb system, the passenger must be able to get to the curb for pick-up and board the vehicle independently of with the assistance of the passenger’s attendant. The driver’s responsibilities consist of operating the bus and wheelchair lift.
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How do I use ADA paratransit to get back and forth between Ventura County and Los Angeles? ADA service in Los Angeles County is provided by Access Services, Inc. You may arrange for visitor’s privileges for 21 consecutive or non-consecutive days per year if your trips to and from Los Angeles are infrequent or sporadic.
These arrangements need to be made in advance of your trip. If you travel between the counties more frequently, Access Services prefers that you apply directly for ADA certification in Los Angeles County.
To arrange travel between Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, first contact the Certification Coordinator so that your eligibility information is received in good order.
Then contact your local ADA paratransit provider to make your trip reservation. Access Services customarily makes pick-ups at two drop-off points: The old Westlake Hospital parking lot at 4415 Lakeview Canyon in Westlake and Chatsworth Metrolink Station. Make sure that your home reservationist knows that you intend to connect with the other provider.
Then call Access Services to learn how they want you to set up the Los Angeles leg of your trip. Make sure the Access Services reservationist knows that you’ll be transferring from a Ventura County ADA paratransit system.
Access Services fares are distance-based and range from $1.80 to $2.70 for each one-way trip. For information about Access Services in Los Angeles County or for a Los Angeles County ADA application, call 1-800-827-0829.
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How do I request a ride? Once you have been certified as being eligible for ADA paratransit service, you will be given a telephone number to call to request transportation. Reservations may be made one day to 14 days in advance of the requested travel time.
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How do I apply?
Click here to download an application for ADA certification in Ventura County.
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