Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit Service
Space Coast Area Transit’s ADA Paratransit Service provides transportation for people with disabilities who cannot use regular buses or trolleys. This service, created under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), offers point-of-origin to point-of-destination rides within ¾ mile of the Fixed Route services. You can book trips ahead of time, and the service runs at the same times as regular bus and trolley services.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What’s the difference between ADA and TD Paratransit Services?
ADA Paratransit serves individuals with disabilities who cannot use Fixed Route buses or trolleys and only operates within ¾ mile of a Fixed Route service. ADA fares are capped at twice the regular bus fare.
TD Paratransit, on the other hand, serves individuals who are transportation disadvantaged but may not necessarily have a disability. TD service can cover a wider area and may have different fare structures.
Learn More About TD Paratransit.
2. How much does ADA Paratransit Service cost?
Fares are $1.50 per ride or $15.00 for a 10-ride pass. You can pay when you board (exact change) or through the Token Transit app. Buy ADA Paratransit Pass.
3. How do I apply for ADA Paratransit Service?
You can apply by completing an online or paper application. Processing takes up to 21 business days. Complete the ADA Application. If denied, you can appeal the decision. Download the Appeal Form.
4. Who is eligible for ADA Paratransit Service?
5. How do I book a ride?
Call the RideLine at 321-635-1878 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Reservations must be made by 2:00 PM the day before your ride, but you can schedule trips up to 14 days in advance.
6. Can I bring a companion or personal care attendant?
7. How do I pay for my rides?
You can pay with exact cash when you board or purchase a pass. Both single-ride passes ($1.50) and 10-ride passes ($15.00) are available. You can buy passes in person, by mail, by phone, or online via the Token Transit app. Purchase Passes Online or By Mail.
8. What is ADA Paratransit Service?
9. Who can use ADA Paratransit Service?
10. What if I need help with my ADA Paratransit application?
You can call the RideLine at 321-635-1878 to get help with filling out the application or for more information about the eligibility process.
11. What is a Reasonable Modification Request?
A Reasonable Modification Request is when you ask for a change to the normal service to meet your specific needs due to your disability. These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis and should be made in advance when possible. Email or call the RideLine at 321-635-1878 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
12. Can I set up recurring rides?
Yes, if you travel at the same time each week, you can set up a recurring ride schedule.
Call the RideLine at 321-635-1878 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
13. What is a mobility device?
14. What Service Animals Are Allowed on the Bus?
Only service animals, such as service dogs, are allowed on Space Coast Area Transit buses. Service animals are specially trained to assist individuals with disabilities and perform specific tasks. Pets, including house pets like dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, reptiles, and rodents, as well as emotional support animals, are not permitted on the bus.
15. What is ADA Paratransit Service?
ADA Paratransit Service is a transportation service for people with disabilities who cannot use the regular bus or trolley service because of their disability. The service uses wheelchair-accessible vehicles to take people anywhere within ¾ of a mile of the regular bus routes in Brevard County, Florida.
16. Are children allowed to ride?
17. What is a Fixed Route?
A Fixed Route, or Fixed Route service, is the main bus service provided by Space Coast Area Transit. It is featured on all the routes and maps. Unlike other services, such as Contracted Routes and Special Services, Fixed Routes operate on regular schedules with clearly defined stops.
18. What is the Local Coordinating Board (LCB) for Transportation Disadvantaged Service?
The Local Coordinating Board provides input on transportation services for those who need assistance. The board meets regularly, and you can contact 321-635-7815 for more information. View LCB meeting documents.
19. What If My Application Is Denied?
If denied, you can appeal the decision. Click here to access the appeals form
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. Space Coast Area Transit operates ADA Paratransit Service to serve the mobility needs of Brevard County citizens who are unable to use Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service. ADA Paratransit Service uses mobility device accessible vehicles, and transports passengers throughout Brevard County on a daily basis. ADA Paratransit Service is a point-of-origin to point-of-destination service, accessed through a trip reservation.
ADA Paratransit and Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Paratransit differ in that ADA Paratransit is only for points of origin and destination within ¾ of a mile of Space Coast Area Transit’s Fixed Route Service. This is because ADA Paratransit Service corresponds with service hours for Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service.
Space Coast Area Transit provides mobility device accessible Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service in accordance with the ADA. This has allowed some individuals with disabilities to use the Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service instead of ADA Paratransit Service, including those who have hearing and vision impairments.
ADA PARATRANSIT OVERVIEW
- Must be comparable to level of Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service.
- Must be provided wherever Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service operates.
- Must operate during the same days and times as Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service.
- Individuals can call before 2:00 PM the day before a ride is needed to request a trip.
- Trips can be requested up to 14 days in advance.
- Individuals can set up a subscription for trips that occur on the same day and time each week.
- Fares can be no more than twice the regular bus fare.
- Trips can be requested for any purpose.
ADA PARATRANSIT ELIGIBILITY
ADA Paratransit Service is available to the following people:
- Individuals with disabilities who cannot use Space Coast Area Transit’s Fixed Route Bus and Trolley Service because it is not accessible for their needs. If bus service becomes accessible, Individuals with disabilities who are able to use it will no longer be eligible for ADA service.
- A personal care attendant (PCA) who is accompanying an ADA eligible rider is considered a mobility aid and rides for free. Additional traveling companions (up to 2) are permitted if space is available without displacing another ADA Paratransit rider. Companions pay the same fare and must have the same point of origin and destination as the ADA eligible rider.
- ADA eligible riders from anywhere in the United States who are visiting Brevard County.
ADA PARATRANSIT REGISTRATION
- To register, individuals must go through an application process to become ADA Paratransit certified.
- The application takes up to 21 business days to be approved.
- Complete/submit the ADA Application online and upload a copy of a State ID along with proof of disability electronically, or, download and complete the ADA Application PDF manually and return the signed application along with a copy of a State ID and proof of disability to Space Coast Area Transit, 401 South Varr Ave., Cocoa, FL, 32922.
- If an individual’s application is denied, they can submit the Paratransit Eligibility Appeal Form on pages 9 – 10 of the Rider’s Guide, or locate the form online at 321Transit.com/AppealForm.
REASONABLE MODIFICATION REQUEST
A Reasonable Modification Request is a request that is out of the ordinary of the current service, which would result in a modification to Space Coast Area Transit’s policies, practices, and/or procedures to allow program accessibility. The reason for the policy is to ease the use of the system, where the nature of an individual’s disability may not prevent a public transit system from providing full access to their service upon request. The requested modification may be denied if it is found to be a financial and/or administrative burden on the system as well as altering the nature of the service. To make a Reasonable Modification Request, email us. When feasible, requests for modifications shall be made and determined in advance of the requested trip. Cases in which advance request and determination is not feasible will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with the understanding that these type situations are likely to be more difficult to accommodate than advance requests.
ADA PARATRANSIT FARES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
A mobile ticketing system powered by Token Transit at 321Transit.com/Pass sends both a $1.50 ADA Paratransit 1-Ride Fare or a $15.00 ADA Paratransit 10-Ride Pass directly and instantly to a smartphone. Payment with a credit or debit card is required. Otherwise, a 1-Ride Fare is paid when boarding. Exact change is required as the driver is not equipped to make change. There is no charge for 1 personal care attendant (PCA), however, companions must pay their own fare. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by a fare paying passenger.
A 10-Ride Pass must be purchased in advance. In addition to Token Transit, 10-Ride Pass purchase options include: In person at Space Coast Area Transit, 401 S. Varr Ave., Cocoa, Florida, 32922, or 460 S. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne, Florida, 32901; By mail to either address listed above, checks up to $100.00, money orders, or credit card orders are accepted; By phone at 321.635.7815, option 2 or 321.952.4561, option 1 with a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card; and Online at 321Transit.com/BuyPass with a 5-day mail delivery.
SERVICE ANIMALS AND PETS, COMPANIONS, PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS (PCAs), CHILDREN AND VISITORS
Space Coast Area Transit allows TD Paratransit and ADA Paratransit riders to travel with one personal care attendant (PCA), and up to two additional companions for a total of 4 passengers per trip. Example: a rider, a PCA, and up to two companions. Service animals are not included in the passenger count.
SERVICE ANIMALS AND NON-SERVICE ANIMALS (PETS)
Service animals are always welcome on any Space Coast Area Transit Vehicle. However, in keeping with best safety practices, emotional/ therapy animals and other pets are not permitted.
The Department of Transportation ADA regulations, 49 CFR Section 37.3, defines a service animal as 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 mobility device, or fetching dropped items. Regulation 49 C.F.R. Section 37.167(d) requires transit entities to permit service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in vehicles and facilities.
COMPANIONS AND PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS
Riders must reserve space for their PCA and companion(s) when they reserve their trip. Up to two additional companions are allowed per trip on a space available basis.
A PCA is a person accompanying an ADA Paratransit rider to assist with their travel needs. ADA riders are allowed 1 PCA that rides free; companions are allowed, however, they must pay their own fare, unless they are 15 years old, or younger. Activities performed by a PCA may include but are not limited to: mobility assistance, personal care, or communication (translation, interpretation, reading) and assistance at the destination. Space Coast Area Transit does not provide a PCA for riders. If a rider cannot be left alone at a destination or must be under constant care or supervision, Space Coast Area Transit may request (but not require) that the rider travel with a PCA.
A PCA or companion must board the vehicle at the rider’s scheduled location and time of pickup and ride together.
CHILDREN
Children 15 years old, or younger, ride for free when accompanied by a fare-paying passenger. According to state law newborns up to 5 year olds must ride in a federally approved child safety seat according to state law. Child safety seats must be provided by the rider.
VISITOR REQUESTS
Space Coast Area Transit provides complementary visitor Paratransit Service to individuals who travel to Brevard County and are eligible for services under ADA. An individual’s certification by a public entity as “ADA Paratransit eligible” will be honored for up to 21 days. The ADA Paratransit certification document must be submitted in advance using one of the following methods: by email; by fax, 321-635-1903; sent by mail; or presented in person at either Space Coast Area Transit Terminal, 401 S. Varr Ave., Cocoa Florida, 32922 or 460 South Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901. If a visitor requires Paratransit Service beyond 21 days during any
CONTACT US
For questions regarding ADA Paratransit Service eligibility, assistance with filling out the application, information on the appeals process, or reservations, call the RideLine at 321-635-1878 to speak with an ADA Paratransit representative or email us.
