MetroAccess Paratransit
Information materials and application form for MetroAccess
Thank you for your interest in MetroAccess, the ADA paratransit
program for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. Please
read the information materials carefully, following the
steps below. These materials explain transportation requirements
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and will
help you assess if you may qualify for MetroAccess service.
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Step 1 |
Read carefully "What Is ADA? What Is MetroAccess?" below. |
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Step 2 |
Complete the ADA Eligibility Worksheet. If your answers on this worksheet indicate that MetroAccess might be appropriate for you, please go to step 3 below. If your answers indicate MetroAccess may not be appropriate, you may wish to contact your own local government office to explore other transportation options. |
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Step 3 |
After going through Steps 1-2, if you think MetroAccess might be appropriate for you and you are interested in applying, please complete the Application form. |
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Step 4 |
Once MetroAccess receives a complete application form, we will contact you to schedule a date and time for the required in-person assessment. You will need to come to one of our assessment sites where a licensed therapist will evaluate your functional abilities related to use of public transit, including, for example, your ability to walk or travel a measured distance. If you use a mobility aid, you must bring it to the assessment. If transportation to and from the assessment is needed, it can be provided and scheduled when the assessment appointment is scheduled. |
If you still have questions or if you need this information in alternative formats, please call the MetroAccess Office at (301) 562-5360, Option 4 for Voice, or (301) 588-7535 for TDD, and ask for Certification Staff.
What is ADA? What is MetroAccess?
What is ADA?
ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Signed into law in 1990, the ADA is federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in a range of categories, including transportation.
The ADA law mandated that improvements be made to public transit systems to make them accessible to persons with disabilities. Interestingly, many of these improvements make public transit easier for everyone to use. These are some of the things that the ADA mandates:
- All new buses used for regular fixed-route services must have a lift or ramp to allow boarding by those passengers who cannot enter by the steps or have difficulty entering by the steps.
- Designated "key" rail stations must be elevator-equipped to accommodate persons using wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
The ADA law also mandated that public transit systems provide ADA paratransit service for those persons whose disabilities prevent them from using accessible fixed-route transit. This does not include disabilities that make use of fixed-route service difficult or inconvenient. The specific criteria for determining who is eligible for ADA paratransit are defined by ADA law.
What is MetroAccess?
MetroAccess is the name of the ADA paratransit service for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. MetroAccess is sponsored by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), local governments, and the other local fixed-route transit systems in the metropolitan area. Only riders who meet the criteria specified by the ADA and who have been certified as eligible can use MetroAccess. Persons do not qualify automatically just because they have a disability or on the basis of age. Eligibility is based on a person's functional limitations.
MetroAccess provides curb-to-curb transportation service for eligible riders. MetroAccess operates service to any location in the District of Columbia; to Montgomery and Prince Georges counties in Maryland; and to Arlington and Fairfax counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church in Virginia that is within three-quarters of a mile of any fixed-route service operated by Metrorail, Metrobus or any of the above local jurisdictions. MetroAccess provides service during the same hours and on the same days as does regular fixed-route service. MetroAccess operates "owl service" to complement local bus service that is operated between 12:01 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. For more information about MetroAccess service please call 301/562-5360, 800/523-7009 or (TTY) 301/588-7535.
MetroAccess fares range between $2.50 and $6.50 each way, depending on the distance (measured in "zones") traveled.
If you live outside of the MetroAccess service area and believe that your disability would qualify you for MetroAccess, you may still apply for the service. If you are certified as eligible, however, MetroAccess would not be able to pick you up at your residence; you would need to come to a location that is within the MetroAccess service area.
Proceed to the application.
