Types of Eligibility

Eligibility for ADA service is directly related to the inability of a person with a disability to use the existing regularly scheduled fixed route buses. It is not just based on the presence of a disability, but on the effect that the disability has on the person’s ability to use the fixed route system.

The ADA requires consideration of eligibility for trips that an applicant or rider makes or might make. For this reason, different types of eligibility that have developed in the transit industry, including:

A. Unconditional Eligibility (All Trips)

In this category type, a customer is eligible when it is not reasonable for them to use the fixed route service under any circumstances, regardless of weather, distance to the stop, and so on.

B. Conditional Eligibility (Some Trips)

In this type of eligibility, the customer can be reasonably expected to make some trips on the fixed route service. For example, a person may be able to reach bus stops that are no more than three blocks away, and where there is a safe, accessible path of travel, but they may require paratransit if distances are greater than three blocks, or if there are path of travel obstacles such as steep hills, deep snow or ice, or other obstacles. Another person may have a temporary health condition.

C. Non-Eligibility

Although a customer may have a disability, that disability does not affect the customer’s ability to use fixed route bus service without an unreasonable amount of effort or risk. Eligibility is not based on a diagnosis or type of disability. Similarly, eligibility is not based on the type of mobility aids that individuals use. Nor is ADA paratransit eligibility based on such factors as age, income, or whether or not individuals can drive or have access to private automobile transportation. If a customer has been determined non-eligible and believes they should be reconsidered for eligibility, please see the Eligibility Appeals Process.