Paratransit is a specialized transport service for people with disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route public transportation. This may be due to an inability to:
· Board, ride or disembark independently from any readily accessible vehicle on the regular fixed-route system
· Access existing accessible fixed-route transportation because that transportation is not available at the needed time on that route
· Get to boarding/alighting locations of regular public transportation.
At their simplest Paratransit operators may utilize 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. At the other end of the spectrum - fully demand responsive transport - the most flexible paratransit systems offer on-demand call-up door-to-door service from any origin to any destination in a service area. Paratransit services are operated by public transit agencies, community groups or not-for-profit corporations, and for-profit private companies or operators.
