Service Cuts and Paratransit

[trainman8119]

With the impending doomsday about to be upon us yet again, does this mean that with the CTA service cuts that Pace will get a break with the Paratransit service in the city? If I recall, the rules regarding Paratransit is that service would operate within 1/2 mile of a fixed route at the time that route is in service. If there are cuts on routes, especially on weekends, does this relieve Pace of the obligation to provide service when those routes get cut. Has Paratransit been affected in the areas Pace has already restructured service. It seems that Paratransit has been a big issue on the budget forefront, but I have heard little about this since all this new sky is falling has been recreated....should this not be lost money found (so to speak) ?

Just curious....thanx

[Busjack]

With the impending doomsday about to be upon us yet again, does this mean that with the CTA service cuts that Pace will get a break with the Paratransit service in the city? If I recall, the rules regarding Paratransit is that service would operate within 1/2 mile of a fixed route at the time that route is in service. If there are cuts on routes, especially on weekends, does this relieve Pace of the obligation to provide service when those routes get cut. Has Paratransit been affected in the areas Pace has already restructured service. It seems that Paratransit has been a big issue on the budget forefront, but I have heard little about this since all this new sky is falling has been recreated....should this not be lost money found (so to speak) ?

Just curious....thanx

Pace has always said that there is nothing they can do in the city, because of the 3/4 mile rule, although they said they are cutting back the reservation center hours. The Pace paratransit page says under Chicago that "Service may be limited in some areas on weekends and holidays based on fixed route service."

Back with the 2007 Doomsday, they said they could cut back suburban paratransit service to conform to the 3/4 mile rule, and also said that if they cut the bus route, they could cut paratransit coverage. However, after the 2008 tax increase, they did neither.

The real question is that the RTA and Pace have had 3 or 4 years to act on recommendations to make the system more efficient, such as centralized dispatch, but haven't, although part of the reason seems to be that the capital bill money never came through. Costs have almost doubled since the 2005 Doomsday complaints (taking into account that then CTA said it was spending $54M and Pace $12M; now the budget is about $119M).

Part of the recommendations was also that paratransit should be a feeder to accessible L stations, rather than provide a one seat ride across the city, but you know who would be able to get to the Pace board meeting to complain about that if it were ever seriously proposed. (Actually, you do know.)

Update: Of course, this time around, CTA did not cut areal (as Tom Skilling says) coverage, and Quinn had the RTA put itself in hock to prevent any paratransit "deficit."