Guide

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such vehicles are used to serve persons who must remain in wheelchairs during travel, they
would be equipped with lifts or ramps and with safety features to accommodate wheelchairs.
Paratransit means different things in different countries. In this guide, “paratransit” refers to
the use of small vehicles, such as vans, mini-buses, taxis, motorized auto-rickshaws, cyclerickshaws,
and similar vehicles operated to exclusively or partly serve mobility-impaired
persons. Such services are generally “door to door” or on special routes, and are sometimes
called “demand-responsive” services or “dial-a-ride” services. See page 5 for more details.
Mobility-impaired persons include
(1) Those with mobility, sensory, or cognitive impairments that make it difficult to overcome
barriers to travel. Persons with mobility impairments include those with visible disabilities
(such as people who use crutches or a wheelchair or a cane to enhance their mobility)
and invisible disabilities, such as persons with a heart condition or arthritis. Persons with
sensory impairments include those who are blind or have reduced vision, or are deaf or
deafened or hard of hearing. Persons with cognitive impairments include those who
cannot easily figure out their environment to use public transportation due to intellectual
disability (e.g., Downs syndrome or dementia) or due to the sheer complexity of travel
(such as we all feel as tourists, visitors, or newcomers to a transit system in a big city).
(2) Seniors, women, children and others are also frequently mobility-impaired when they find
themselves in situations where they cannot overcome barriers to travel, perhaps due to
inability to reach transit stops or fear of crime or violence or other obstacles.
How to use this guide
Readers are reminded that no two paratransit systems are the same. This guide introduces
an array of topics. Within each topic, we describe solutions that have worked for many
agencies without trying to prescribe solutions if they are not relevant to your situation. Small
agencies may find some of this information less relevant than larger agencies. All agencies
are urged to go beyond the introductory material in this guide by consulting further resources
on each of the topics.
If you are in the public sector, such as an official with a government or municipal agency,
you might find Sections 1 through 4 of the guide a good starting point.
If you are in the private sector, such as a manager of a transport or other business, or an
entrepreneur thinking of starting up or expanding a transport service to include persons
with disabilities, you may wish to first look at Section 1 as well as Sections 4 through 9
before proceeding to other parts of the guide.
If you are in the non-profit sector, such as a social service agency or non-governmental
organization (NGO), you may wish to first look at Sections 10 and 11 for especially helpful
material, then go on to the many other topics of the guide which will be of interest.
Please go to the table of contents on the next page.