49 CFR Parts 37 & 38 - Department of Transportation (DOT) ADA Regulations

§ 37.139 Plan contents.

Each plan shall contain the following information:

(a) Identification of the entity or entities submitting the plan, specifying for each—

(1) Name and address; and

(2) Contact person for the plan, with telephone number and facsimile telephone number (FAX), if applicable.

(b) A description of the fixed route system as of January 26, 1992 (or subsequent year for annual updates), including—

(1) A description of the service area, route structure, days and hours of service, fare structure, and population served. This includes maps and tables, if appropriate;

(2) The total number of vehicles (bus, van, or rail) operated in fixed route service (including contracted service), and percentage of accessible vehicles and percentage of routes accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, including persons who use wheelchairs;

(3) Any other information about the fixed route service that is relevant to establishing the basis for comparability of fixed route and paratransit service.

(c) A description of existing paratransit services, including:

(1) An inventory of service provided by the public entity submitting the plan;

(2) An inventory of service provided by other agencies or organizations, which may in whole or in part be used to meet the requirement for complementary paratransit service; and

(3) A description of the available paratransit services in paragraphs (c)(2) and (c)(3) of this section as they relate to the service criteria described in §37.131 of this part of service area, response time, fares, restrictions on trip purpose, hours and days of service, and capacity constraints; and to the requirements of ADA paratransit eligibility.

(d) A description of the plan to provide comparable paratransit, including:

(1) An estimate of demand for comparable paratransit service by ADA eligible individuals and a brief description of the demand estimation methodology used;

(2) An analysis of differences between the paratransit service currently provided and what is required under this part by the entity(ies) submitting the plan and other entities, as described in paragraph (c) of this section;

(3) A brief description of planned modifications to existing paratransit and fixed route service and the new paratransit service planned to comply with the ADA paratransit service criteria;

(4) A description of the planned comparable paratransit service as it relates to each of the service criteria described in §37.131 of this part—service area, absence of restrictions or priorities based on trip purpose, response time, fares, hours and days of service, and lack of capacity constraints. If the paratransit plan is to be phased in, this paragraph shall be coordinated with the information being provided in paragraphs (d)(5) and (d)(6) of this paragraph;

(5) A timetable for implementing comparable paratransit service, with a specific date indicating when the planned service will be completely operational. In no case may full implementation be completed later than January 26, 1997. The plan shall include milestones for implementing phases of the plan, with progress that can be objectively measured yearly;

(6) A budget for comparable paratransit service, including capital and operating expenditures over five years.

(e) A description of the process used to certify individuals with disabilities as ADA paratransit eligible. At a minimum, this must include—

(1) A description of the application and certification process, including—

(i) The availability of information about the process and application materials in accessible formats;

(ii) The process for determining eligibility according to the provisions of §§37.123-37.125 of this part and notifying individuals of the determination made;

(iii) The entity's system and timetable for processing applications and allowing presumptive eligibility; and

(iv) The documentation given to eligible individuals.

(2) A description of the administrative appeals process for individuals denied eligibility.

(3) A policy for visitors, consistent with §37.127 of this part.

(f) Description of the public participation process including—

(1) Notice given of opportunity for public comment, the date(s) of completed public hearing(s), availability of the plan in accessible formats, outreach efforts, and consultation with persons with disabilities.

(2) A summary of significant issues raised during the public comment period, along with a response to significant comments and discussion of how the issues were resolved.

(g) Efforts to coordinate service with other entities subject to the complementary paratransit requirements of this part which have overlapping or contiguous service areas or jurisdictions.

(h) The following endorsements or certifications:

(1) A resolution adopted by the board of the entity authorizing the plan, as submitted. If more than one entity is submitting the plan there must be an authorizing resolution from each board. If the entity does not function with a board, a statement shall be submitted by the entity's chief executive;

(2) In urbanized areas, certification by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that it has reviewed the plan and that the plan is in conformance with the transportation plan developed under the Federal Transit/Federal Highway Administration joint planning regulation (49 CFR part 613 and 23 CFR part 450). In a service area which is covered by more than one MPO, each applicable MPO shall certify conformity of the entity's plan. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to non-FTA recipients;

(3) A certification that the survey of existing paratransit service was conducted as required in §37.137(a) of this part;

(4) To the extent service provided by other entities is included in the entity's plan for comparable paratransit service, the entity must certify that:

(i) ADA paratransit eligible individuals have access to the service;

(ii) The service is provided in the manner represented; and

(iii) Efforts will be made to coordinate the provision of paratransit service by other providers.

(i) A request for a waiver based on undue financial burden, if applicable. The waiver request should include information sufficient for FTA to consider the factors in §37.155 of this part. If a request for an undue financial burden waiver is made, the plan must include a description of additional paratransit services that would be provided to achieve full compliance with the requirement for comparable paratransit in the event the waiver is not granted, and the timetable for the implementation of these additional services.

(j) Annual plan updates.

(1) The annual plan updates submitted January 26, 1993, and annually thereafter, shall include information necessary to update the information requirements of this section. Information submitted annually must include all significant changes and revisions to the timetable for implementation;

(2) If the paratransit service is being phased in over more than one year, the entity must demonstrate that the milestones identified in the current paratransit plans have been achieved. If the milestones have not been achieved, the plan must explain any slippage and what actions are being taken to compensate for the slippage.

(3) The annual plan must describe specifically the means used to comply with the public participation requirements, as described in §37.137 of this part.