Access Services Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
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Access Services Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ADA Paratransit Compliance Review Final Report September 2018 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration FTA ADA Paratransit Compliance Review: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Final Report September 2018 This page has been intentionally left blank to facilitate duplex printing FTA ADA Paratransit Compliance Review: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Final Report September 2018 Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1 General Information ................................................................................................................................. 3 2 Jurisdiction and Authorities ..................................................................................................................... 5 3 Purpose and Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 7 4 Introduction to SEPTA ............................................................................................................................ 9 4.1 Complementary Paratransit Services and Organizational Structure ............................................. 9 5 Scope and Methodology......................................................................................................................... 11 5.1 Scope ........................................................................................................................................... 11 5.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 12 5.3 Stakeholder Interviews ................................................................................................................ 14 6 Findings and Advisory Comments ......................................................................................................... 15 6.1 Comparable Complementary Paratransit Service ....................................................................... 15 6.2 Paratransit Eligibility Process ..................................................................................................... 15 Absence of Administrative Burdens ................................................................................................... 15 Paratransit Eligibility Standards .......................................................................................................... 16 Accessible Information ....................................................................................................................... 20 Eligibility Determinations or Presumptive Eligibility Within 21 Days .............................................. 20 Written Eligibility Determinations Including Specific Reasons for Denials or Temporary or Conditional Eligibility Determinations ............................................................................................... 22 Recertification of Eligibility at Reasonable Intervals ......................................................................... 23 Administrative Appeal Process for Denials or Decisions Granting Conditional or Temporary Eligibility ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Complementary Paratransit for Visitors ............................................................................................. 26 6.3 Types of Service ......................................................................................................................... 27 6.4 Service Criteria for Complementary Paratransit ......................................................................... 28 Service Area ........................................................................................................................................ 28 Response Time .................................................................................................................................... 29 Fares .................................................................................................................................................... 31 No Trip Purpose Restrictions .............................................................................................................. 31 Hours and Days of Service.................................................................................................................. 32 Absence of Capacity Constraints ........................................................................................................ 32 No Restrictions on the Number of Trips Provided to ADA Paratransit Eligible Individuals ............. 32 No Waiting List for Access to the Service .......................................................................................... 32 FTA ADA Paratransit Compliance Review: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Final Report September 2018 No Substantial Numbers of Significantly Untimely Pickups for Initial or Return Trips .................... 33 No Substantial Numbers of Trip Denials or Missed Trips .................................................................. 34 No Substantial Numbers of Trips With Excessive Trip Lengths ........................................................ 36 No Operational Patterns or Practices Limiting the Availability of Service to ADA Paratransit Eligible Individuals ............................................................................................................................. 37 6.5 Subscription Service ................................................................................................................... 38 6.6 Reasonable Policies for Proposed Service Suspensions for Missing Scheduled Trips and the Right to Appeal ........................................................................................................................... 39 6.7 Complaint Resolution and Compliance Information .................................................................. 41 6.8 Nondiscrimination ....................................................................................................................... 42 6.9 Training Requirements ................................................................................................................ 43 6.10 Service Under Contract with a Private Entity ............................................................................. 44 6.11 Service Provided by Another Public Entity ................................................................................ 45 6.12 Coordination of Service .............................................................................................................. 45 Summary Table of Compliance Review Findings ...................................................................................... 47 Attachments A FTA Notification Letter to SEPTA B SEPTA Response Letter to Draft Report C SEPTA Appeal Process D SEPTA Conditions of Eligibility E Customer No-Show/Cancellation Policy FTA ADA Paratransit Compliance Review: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Final Report September 2018 Executive Summary Objective and Methodology This report reviews the complementary paratransit service of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), serving the City of Philadelphia and four surrounding Pennsylvania counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery). It verifies whether this service is meeting SEPTA’s obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements to provide paratransit as a complement to fixed route service. This compliance review included three stages: 1. Preparation: compilation of information covering policies and procedures and interviews with eligible SEPTA paratransit riders and local disability organizations 2. Site visit: a three-person review team’s observation of SEPTA’s paratransit trip requests including scheduling and dispatching, examination of eligibility applications and related documents (including appeals), and interviews with SEPTA and contractor employees 3. Analysis and reporting: identification of deficiencies requiring corrective actions and suggestions of effective practices in complementary paratransit service SEPTA’s complementary paratransit service includes the following positive program elements: Positive Program Elements • SEPTA has a thorough eligibility determination program, with SEPTA staff conducting all tasks in the initial determinations. • SEPTA’s complaint resolution is comprehensive and well documented. • Pickup performance in SEPTA’s suburban counties exceeds the on-time performance standard. The following administrative deficiencies are easily correctable to bring its program into compliance with 49 CFR Parts 27, 37 and 38: Administrative Deficiencies • Policies and public information for service to visitors are not consistent or clear. • The complementary paratransit service area does not cover all areas served by fixed route. • Some