Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit Demand Forecast Tool
Overview
As part of its monitoring of transit system performance over the
past decade, SCAG identified a steady and significant increase in
demand response trips in the region. SCAG’s analysis of
historical data from the National Transit Database shows that
between 1991 and 2016, demand response trips grew by 71 percent.
During the same period, demand response service provided in the
SCAG region increased four-fold, representing 20 percent of all
transit service hours in 2016. As part of Connect SoCal, SCAG’s
2040 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities
Strategy (RTP/SCS), SCAG forecasts 4.6 million persons aged 65
years or older by 2045, which constitutes about 21 percent of the
total population.
SCAG initiated a study in 2019 to develop a tool to assist SCAG
and transit providers with developing long term forecasts of
demand for ADA paratransit services.
Federal statute establishes ADA complementary paratransit as a
civil right, intended to serve as a “safety net” for persons with
disabilities who cannot use fixed-route bus or rail service
because of a disability. The ADA Paratransit Demand Forecast
Tool, the first of its kind in the region, will help to inform
SCAG’s long-range planning for ADA Paratransit needs in the
region. It is intended to help measure the performance of plans
in meeting the mobility needs of elderly and disabled residents,
and to estimate the resources necessary to meet future needs. The
tool can also be used to support the region’s ADA paratransit
providers in their planning and budgeting activities.
The following video features a workshop on ADA Paratransit Demand
Forecast Tool.
The ADA Paratransit Demand Forecast Tool, outputs and
associated data are provided “as is” without warranty of any
kind, whether expressed, implied, statutory, or otherwise
including but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
