Oh, paratransit, it's so horrible, and yet so frustrating! What follows is in no way to minimize your experience, but to shed a little light on its mystery.
I know a bit about the rules'n'regs because I spent a decade doing paratransit and transit activism, including chairing the transit and paratransit boards in my town. Way too many transit systems don't come even close to fulfilling the requirements under the ADA. Those requirements are a lot better than nothing, but still not ideal.
You said: It turns out that you can use it if a) you are disabled, and b) the nature of the disability means that you cannot use any other public transportation service, including the aforementioned bus system.
The theory is, if you could use the transit system EXCEPT for a barrier created by the interaction of your disability with the world, then your transit system must provide you with paratransit service.
Here are some examples of people who qualify:
Jill has cognitive impairments. She gets confused and anxious at the bus transfer station. She is not able to tell whether a friendly stranger could intend her harm. Her trip to work requires a transfer. She can get paratransit for a ride to work.
Jane has a vision impairment. She uses a mobility cane to navigate. Her psychic lives in a part of town without sidewalks. To reach the psychic from the bus stop would require walking in the street against traffic. She can get paratransit for a ride to the psychic.
Jesse has a mobility impairment, and uses a power wheelchair. She lives near a bike path, which is connected to an extensive pedestrian network to her library. When even plowed snow and ice block her access to the bike path, she can get paratransit for a ride to the library.
So, users are eligible for paratransit on a case-by-case and ride-by-ride basis. The application you're asked to fill out is to see if there are any cases where you'd be eligible. (Happy to go over those issues in nauseating detail.) It's not your diagnosis or label that matters, but your functional capacity. Some people can use the transit system, and others can't. If you can't because of your impairment, then the ADA guarantees you the right to paratransit.
Why it costs more: because it's door to door, there's no "volume discount" like there is for city buses. On the big bus, every run costs the same whether there are no people on board or a standing load. The income is better, but the cost is the same. Bus routes depend on riders walking that last 1/4 mile from their home; paratransit has to drive there and back. All transit systems subsidize the cost of rides. The last time I had data the system cost was $35/ride for paratransit vs $2.50/ride for transit. The ADA permits a paratransit ride fare to be twice as much as the full regular bus fare. Smart transit systems give big discounts for disabled users on the regular bus to keep costs down.
Finally, the paratransit call center must provide access via TTY (or other non-speech equivalent). My town's call center gave up training their own customer service people and tells people to use the text relay (nationwide 711 connects you to your local relay provider).
no subject
I know a bit about the rules'n'regs because I spent a decade doing paratransit and transit activism, including chairing the transit and paratransit boards in my town. Way too many transit systems don't come even close to fulfilling the requirements under the ADA. Those requirements are a lot better than nothing, but still not ideal.
You said:
It turns out that you can use it if a) you are disabled, and b) the nature of the disability means that you cannot use any other public transportation service, including the aforementioned bus system.
The theory is, if you could use the transit system EXCEPT for a barrier created by the interaction of your disability with the world, then your transit system must provide you with paratransit service.
Here are some examples of people who qualify:
Jill has cognitive impairments. She gets confused and anxious at the bus transfer station. She is not able to tell whether a friendly stranger could intend her harm. Her trip to work requires a transfer. She can get paratransit for a ride to work.
Jane has a vision impairment. She uses a mobility cane to navigate. Her psychic lives in a part of town without sidewalks. To reach the psychic from the bus stop would require walking in the street against traffic. She can get paratransit for a ride to the psychic.
Jesse has a mobility impairment, and uses a power wheelchair. She lives near a bike path, which is connected to an extensive pedestrian network to her library. When even plowed snow and ice block her access to the bike path, she can get paratransit for a ride to the library.
So, users are eligible for paratransit on a case-by-case and ride-by-ride basis. The application you're asked to fill out is to see if there are any cases where you'd be eligible. (Happy to go over those issues in nauseating detail.) It's not your diagnosis or label that matters, but your functional capacity. Some people can use the transit system, and others can't. If you can't because of your impairment, then the ADA guarantees you the right to paratransit.
Why it costs more: because it's door to door, there's no "volume discount" like there is for city buses. On the big bus, every run costs the same whether there are no people on board or a standing load. The income is better, but the cost is the same. Bus routes depend on riders walking that last 1/4 mile from their home; paratransit has to drive there and back. All transit systems subsidize the cost of rides. The last time I had data the system cost was $35/ride for paratransit vs $2.50/ride for transit. The ADA permits a paratransit ride fare to be twice as much as the full regular bus fare. Smart transit systems give big discounts for disabled users on the regular bus to keep costs down.
Finally, the paratransit call center must provide access via TTY (or other non-speech equivalent). My town's call center gave up training their own customer service people and tells people to use the text relay (nationwide 711 connects you to your local relay provider).