Donna Fredericksen, Deputy Director of the MTA’s Transit Access-A-Ride (AAR) Paratransit Outreach, with Kevin Funney, Operator, Maggies Paratransit Corp.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many parts of city life, including the safe access of New Yorkers with disabilities to services and care. During a talk hosted by the Mount Sinai Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), Donna Fredericksen, Deputy Director of the MTA’s Access-A-Ride (AAR) Paratransit Outreach, described how the program has adjusted to the pandemic and continued to safely provide paratransit service to New Yorkers. The virtual talk can be viewed here.
The session, “Proactive Measures During COVID-19 and Beyond,” was the second in the new Raising Disability Awareness Virtual Talk Series, featuring speakers from around the Mount Sinai Health System as well as the community, in honor of Disability Awareness Month in October. During this time, ODI hosted events to educate, raise awareness and promote an inclusive and equitable health care environment for people with disabilities.
“Access-A-Ride trips are available—24-7 and 365 days a year—for people with disabilities who cannot use the subway or the bus,” Ms. Fredericksen said. “This could be a temporary setback, perhaps a new knee or a new hip, or it might be something more long term.”
Talk on Disability Awareness
During the COVID-19 pandemic, AAR has adjusted its procedures: Riders and drivers must wear masks. All dedicated vehicles are disinfected, and temperature checks are required for drivers. And to allow for social distancing, shared rides are discontinued—though people with disabilities can be accompanied by a personal care attendant (PCA). Applicants are still required to go to an assessment center as part of the eligibility determination process. The sites are open at 25 percent capacity, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. For many months during the pandemic, fares were suspended, but they resumed on Tuesday, January 19.
The AAR fare for most eligible riders is $2.75, the same as subway or bus fare. If they have a PCA, that person travels free, and AAR customers who are enrolled in the Fair Fares program, which aids lower income New Yorkers, pay $1.35.
AAR is the largest paratransit service in the country, with 160,000 riders. Pre-COVID, it made 24,000 trips a day, Ms. Fredericksen said. Now the weekday trips remain steady at about 70 percent of that level.
Meeting Essential Travel Needs
Ms. Fredericksen and two team members outlined how to apply for eligibility—the required first step—and how to schedule a ride, access language and interpretation services, navigate through the AAR web page, and access the MYmta app, which is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play. Access-A-Ride answers to “a higher authority,” Ms. Fredericksen said, in this case, being in compliance with the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and prioritizing the needs of people with disabilities. “We want to focus on essential travel, such as taking you to dialysis or chemotherapy appointments, or if you are an essential worker, or you need service immediately,” she said.
“If you have any questions about AAR, please call. Someone is there Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 to help you out.” For the latest information, including a guide to AAR and the AAR newsletter, visit https://new.mta.info/accessibility/paratransit. Or call 1-877-337-2017.