Metro Access Paratransit
If you can’t use Metro Rail or Metro Bus for your trip, Metro offers an alternative: Metro Access, a door-to-door shared-ride paratransit service. If you’re eligible, you can use Metro Access to travel from your front door to most places that are near a Metro Rail station or Metro Bus stop.
It’s a shared-ride service, so you may travel with a small number of other passengers in the vehicle, and the vehicle may make other stops before arriving at your destination.
Metro Access isn’t free; you have to pay a fare. It costs more than Metro Rail or Metro Bus, but it’s still less expensive than other transportation options like taxi service.
To use Metro Access, you need to have a Metro Access ID. If you have a Metro Access ID, you can also ride for free on Metro Rail and Metro Bus with your Personal Care Assistant (PCA) or companion.
Applying for Metro Access and getting your ID
To register for Metro Access and get your Metro Access ID, you must meet the eligibility criteria, submit a written application, and complete an in-person interview. Metro will provide transportation to and from the interview.
If you qualify for Metro Access, you can apply now and get your Metro Access ID even if you’re not sure you will use Metro Access, so that you will be able to use the service if and when you need it.
Even if your disability doesn’t qualify you for Metro Access, you may still be eligible for a Reduced Fare Smart Trip Photo ID, which you can use to ride Metro Bus and Metro Rail for 50% off the regular fare. It’s easier to get a Reduced Fare Smart Trip Photo ID.
Riding with Metro Access
You can use Metro Access to travel between any two points in the Metro service area that are both within 3/4 mile of a Metro Rail or Metro Bus route.
You need to book your Metro Access rides in advance. You can book your ride online or over the phone. The fare for a Metro Access trip is twice the fare of the equivalent transit trip, up to $6.50. You can pay your fare online before your trip, or you can pay the driver in cash.
Metro Access is available during the same hours that the equivalent Metro Rail or Metro Bus service is available. For instance, if you are using Metro Access to travel to a destination along the Metro Rail Red Line, service is available from early morning to late night.
Abilities-Ride alternative ride service
If you’re a Metro Access ID holder, you can also use the Abilities-Ride program. In Abilities-Ride, Metro schedules some Metro Access trips through other ride providers, such as taxi and van companies. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are always available, even when you use an Abilities-Ride provider.
Participating in Abilities-Ride is optional. If you choose to join Abilities-Ride, you are providing Metro with flexibility to help accommodate more Metro Access customers during peak periods, so that everyone can get where they need to go even when demand for Metro Access is high. To thank you for your participation, if Metro schedules you with an Abilities-Ride provider, your ride is free.
Even after you join Abilities-Ride, you’ll still call Metro Access to make trip reservations. Depending on service demand at the time you are traveling, your trip may be provided by Metro Access (with the normal fare), or be assigned to an Abilities-Ride provider. You may not know in advance which type of provider you’ll get.
Unlike Metro Access, Abilities-Ride offers curb-to-curb service, rather than door-to-door, and drivers aren’t required to carry bags or luggage or wait with you at your destination.