Paratransit
At their simplest they may consist of a taxi or small bus that will run along a more or less defined route and then stop to pick up or discharge passengers on request.
In developed countries, it is typically a flexible, demand-responsive form of public transportation designed to provide point-to-point service.
On the other hand, in developing countries, IPT often operates as an informal, cost-effective alternative to formal transportation modes.
It tends to be unorganized and subject to minimal government regulation, serving as a prevalent form of spontaneous public transport that facilitates quick and convenient travel.
The use of "paratransit" ("para transit", "para-transit") has evolved and taken on two somewhat separate broad sets of meaning and application in North America; the term is rarely used in the rest of the world.
[5] Since the early 1980s, particularly in North America, the term began to be used increasingly to describe the second meaning: special transport services for people with disabilities.
[8] Paratransit, as an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules, are common and often offer the only mechanized mobility options for the poor in many parts of the developing world.
[10] In 2016,[11] the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began a pilot program which has subsidized paratransit passengers on Uber, Lyft, and Curb, up to a cap of $42 per ride.
This retained the ability to book by phone, lowered the fare for riders, eliminated the need to book the trip a day in advance, eliminated shared trips, reduced in-transit time, and reduced the pickup wait time from 30 minutes to as low as 5 minutes in the urban core.
[16] Under the ADA, complementary paratransit service is required for passengers who are 1) Unable to navigate the public bus system, 2) unable to get to a point from which they could access the public bus system, or 3) have a temporary need for these services because of injury or some type of limited duration cause of disability (49 CFR 37.123).
In the United States, paratransit service is now highly regulated and closely monitored for compliance with standards set by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
[35] The complicated nature of providing paratransit service in accordance with ADA guidelines led to the development of sophisticated software for the industry.
Some companies are beginning to integrate cloud computing models to find operational efficiencies and cost savings for smaller paratransit service providers.
The fragmented, intensely competitive nature of the industry makes government regulation and control much harder than traditional public transport.
Government authorities have cited problems with unsafe vehicles and drivers as justifying efforts to regulate and "formalize" paratransit operations.
[43] The New Zealand Transport Agency provides a comprehensive list of options in the country,[44] including Total Mobility (TM) in Auckland.
"[46] In some parts of the world, transportation services for the elderly and disabled are obtainable through share taxi options, often without formal government involvement.
