The OUTREACH Paratransit Glossary is intended to aid paratransit users in understanding our service as well as to be a resource to anyone else involved or interested in paratransit. Some definitions are accepted industry wide, particularly ones that pertain to ADA regulations. Some are specific to OUTREACH paratransit service. If you use another paratransit service, some policies and definitions may differ.
This glossary is continually being updated and expanded. If you wish to contribute or comment on this resource, contact the OUTREACH web staff.
Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA)
The legislation defining the responsibilities
of, and requirements for transportation providers to make transportation
accessible to individuals with disabilities. The Department of
Transportation published the Final Rule on Transportation of Individuals
with Disabilities on September 6, 1991.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is federal legislation
prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. One
of the overriding principles of the ADA is to ensure that all
people have equal access to public transportation..
Ambulatory
Ambulatory describes an individual
who can walk with a minimum of assistance, or with a cane or walker.
Bay Area Counties - 9
Refers to the counties in the San Francisco
Bay Area that cooperate with the regional ADA application and
eligibility processes. These counties are: Alameda, Contra Costa,
Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solono, and
Sonoma.
Broker
An organization which identifies and
matches potential user needs with available transportation services.
OUTREACH is the paratransit broker for Valley Transportation Authority.
Cancellation
Refers to a customer canceling a prior
trip request
Common
Mobility Device
A mobility aid belonging to any class
of three or four wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed for
and used by individuals with mobility impairments, whether operated
manually or powered. A “common wheelchair” is such a
device which does not exceed 48 inches in length (see Figure 1)
and 30 inches in width (see Figure 2) when measured two inches
above the ground. Common mobility devices cannot weigh more than
600 pounds when occupied.
Companion
A person, other than a Personal Care
Attendant, traveling with an ADA paratransit eligible customer
and having the same origin (pick-up) and destination (drop-off)
as the eligible individual.
Complementary Paratransit Service
It is a service which operates during
comparable time periods and in comparable areas as the fixed route
or conventional bus and light rail system.
Demand Responsive Transportation
A demand responsive system is any system
of transporting individuals which is specifically adapted to meet
the travel needs of the individual. Paratransit is demand response
in that users are able to schedule rides with specific times and
locations.
Door-to-Door
The ADA only requires that complementary
paratransit service be curb-to-curb service. Paratransit providers
have the option of providing:
OUTREACH provides door-to-door service as a standard policy, surpassing ADA regulations.
Eligibility
Feeder Service
Feeder service provides a fixed route
system user with paratransit service to or from an accessible
station or stop.
Fixed Route System
Fixed route transportation is what
would be considered conventional, or normal public transportation.
Usually busses or light rail which follow regular routes and have
designated stops at predetermined times.
Global Positioning System
Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC)
The MTC is the Bay Area's Regional Transportation
Planning Agency (RPTA). An RPTA is a state-designated agency responsible
for administering state funds, preparing the required Regional
Transportation Plan and Regional Transportation Improvement Program,
and other tasks. One of the regional tasks the MTC is responsible
for is ADA paratransit service.
Mobility Device
No-Show
A no-show is defined as a trip cancellation
with less than two hours notification. This also includes any
occurrence in which the customer cannot be located at the scheduled
pickup location at the scheduled time. No-shows resulting from
broker or vendor error are exempt.
Open Return
An open return is a ride without a
fixed time. An open return time is typically requested if a passenger
is not sure at what time he or she will need to return. This may
be the case if passengers are unsure as to what time a medical
or other appointment will be over. However, an open return time
can result in as much as an hour waiting time, a scheduled return
time will always offer quicker service. Open returns cost $4.40,
twice the regular fare.
Paratransit
Comparable transportation service required
by the ADA for individuals with disabilities who are unable to
use fixed route transpiration systems.
Personal Care Attendant (PCA)
A person traveling as an aid who is
designated or employed by a person with disabilities to help that
person meet his or her personal needs and/or facilitate travel.
Peak Period
The Peak Period is the time of day
when demand for transit service is the greatest, and finding ride
times is most difficult. For OUTREACH Paratransit, these times
are 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Service Animal
Any guide dog, signal dog, or other
animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual
with a disability, including but not limited to, guiding individuals
with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing
to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue
work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
Service
Provider
OUTREACH provides transportation service
through contracted taxi and van companies. Customers are assigned
to one Service Provider. The name and phone number of a customer’s
Service Provider is located on the back of his or her ID Card.
We reserve the right to change your service providers in you area
when necessary. If this occurs, you will be notified.
Subscription Service
Providing paratransit or demand responsive
transportation over an extended period of time for repetitive
trips for purposes including but not limited to employment, education,
or ongoing medical treatment without requiring that a reservation
be placed for each trip.
Transferable
A client who is transferable is able
to move from his or her wheelchair to the seat of the vehicle,
and back with a minimum of assistance. A minimum of assistance
is defined as a supportive arm from the driver.
Travel Training
Also known as mobility training, this
alternative provides potential riders with the skills and information
needed to use the fixed route service independently. Instruction
can focus on use of the lift or other access features, route planning,
landmark identification, street crossing safety, emergency procedures,
stranger safety awareness, appropriate behavior, or any combination
of these. Training can be specific to a particular route or trip
or can be designed to develop more general system use skills.
Training can be provided by “peers” (individuals with
disabilities or elderly persons who know and use the system) or
by human service agency or transit agency staff or contractors.
Vendor
See Service Provider
Valley
Transportation Agency (VTA)
VTA is the public transportation provider of Santa
Clara County. In accordance with the ADA of 1990, VTA provides
paratransit service to persons unable to use its fixed route bus
and light rail services as a result of their disabilities. VTA’s
ADA paratransit service is provided through a contract with a
broker (OUTREACH) and the broker’s contracted service providers.
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a mobility aid belonging
to any class of three or four-wheeled devices, usable indoors,
designed for, and used by individuals with mobility impairments,
whether operated manually or powered. Paratransit agencies are
only required to transport "common" wheelchairs or mobility
devices. For the definition of a "common wheelchair"
See Common Mobility Device.
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