HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2004 0707 CC REG ITEM 10GMOORPARK CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA REPORT
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TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: John Brand, Senior Management Analyst b0
DATE: June 29, 2004 (CC meeting of July 7, 2004)
SUBJECT: Consider Personal Care Attendants on Moorpark City
Transit Fixed Route
DISCUSSION
An incident recently arose that led staff to consider a formal
policy regarding whether Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) should ride
for free or pay a fare on the Moorpark City Transit system. Staff
provided interim instructions to the City's contract transit
operator, CUSA, LLC, to allow attendants to ride free on the
Moorpark City Transit fixed route buses while the matter was being
researched.
A Personal Care Attendant (PCA) assists persons with disabilities
and under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), PCAs
accompanying a qualified ADA disabled rider on a paratransit system
ride at no charge. This authority does not extend to fixed route
transit systems. It is the responsibility of each transit operator
to decide whether or not to charge PCAs when they accompany a
disabled rider on its fixed route.
Staff polled the other transit operators in the County on the issue
Of PCAs. Camarillo Area Transit and VISTA are the only other
operators that allow PCAs to ride free on their fixed routes. South
Coast Area Transit (SCAT), Thousand Oaks Transit, and Simi Valley
Transit all charge PCAs the full bus fare. In other regions of the
nation, some transit operators charge PCAs the discounted disabled
fare. It is not apparent which policy is most widely used. It is a
local decision and varies from place to place.
It is staff's view that it makes good sense as public policy and
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Personal Care Attendants
CC Meeting of July 7, 2004
Page 2
from a financial perspective to consider allowing PCA's to ride free
on the fixed route. It may be desirable for local disabled persons
to use the City Bus instead of the Dial -A -Ride (DAR) for a number of
reasons:
• The fixed route bus is cheaper for both the City and the ADA
rider. The disabled bus fare is $0.50; the DAR fare is $1.50.
• The fixed route has more seating capacity to accommodate groups
of disabled persons traveling together.
• The fixed route has a set schedule avoiding possible time
delays in the response of the Dial -A -Ride service.
• Using the fixed route may help the disabled person learn to
function more independently.
• It is good community relations.
This proposed policy is not expected to impact bus ridership or
revenues. By far, most of the trips in question occur during non -
peak hours. There is sufficient seating capacity on the bus for
paying riders, and each bus is equipped with grab rails for standees
on those rare occasions when the bus is full.
Staff proposes the implementation of a policy allowing PCAs to ride
free on the fixed route system even though it is not required by
law. On May 10, the Transportation and Streets Committee
(Councilmembers Millhouse and Parvin) reviewed the issue and
expressed concurrence with the staff recommendation.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Establish a policy that allows Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) ,
accompanying an ADA qualified rider on Moorpark City Transit fixed
route, to ride the bus at no charge.
Personal Care Attendants on fixed route 000384