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Access-A-Ride
Paratransit Service User's Guide


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What is Access-A-Ride?
Access-A-Ride (AAR) provides transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service for some or all of their trips. It offers shared ride, door-to-door paratransit service. MTA New York City Transit administers AAR; private carriers under contract to NYC Transit provide service.

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Visitor's Information

MTA New York City Transit welcomes the opportunity to provide AAR paratransit service to eligible visitors to New York City.  We suggest that visitors read the Access-A-Ride Paratransit Service User’s Guideand our On the Move newsletter to familiarize them with NYC Transit’s paratransit service.

To request these publications by phone, call toll-free from area codes 212, 718, 347, 516, 631, 646, 914 and 845 by dialing 877-337-2017; or dial direct at 718-393-4999. NYC Transit Customer Assistance at 718-330-3322 also provides AAR publications and bus and subway maps and information.

Want to Use AAR on Your Visit?
If you plan on visiting New York and using AAR, you first need to send NYC Transit a copy of your paratransit ID card (front and back) or other equivalent paratransit eligibility documentation issued by the city or town in which you reside.  If you don’t have these documents, you must submit proof of residency outside of New York City and proof of disability.  A legible, dated and signed letter from a doctor or rehabilitation professional indicating an individual’s disability is acceptable proof.

Additional Information Required
Name
Home address, telephone, and business telephone, if appropriate
New York City address (include cross streets) where you will stay
Telephone where you will stay
Date of birth
Emergency Contact (telephone) in New York City
Will you travel with a personal care attendant (PCA)?
Will you travel with a guest?
Do you use a service animal?
Tell us what type of equipment you use?  Do you use a walker, crutches, a wheelchair, or a scooter?
Is your wheelchair or scooter wider than 33.5 inches and/or longer than 51 inches and weigh more than 800 lbs. when occupied? 
[Please note: AAR vehicles cannot accommodate wheelchairs/scooters larger than these dimensions.]
Will you need the driver to call out your name (for those with a visual impairment) when the vehicle arrives?
Do you need information in an accessible format (such as large print or cassette)?

Reserving a Paratransit Trip
When you have received a NYC Transit AAR ID number, you may reserve a trip by calling 718-393-4999 (outside New York City) or 877-337-2017 (in New York City) between 7 AM and 5 PM (Eastern Standard Time) daily, one to two days in advance of your trip. When you hear the menu press #1 for English or #2 for Spanish and then #2 for Reservations, and follow the instructions in How to Arrange for a Trip in the Access-A-Ride Paratransit Service User’s Guide. If the building at the trip starting point or the trip destination has more than one entrance, tell the reservationist the specific entrance at which you wish to be picked up and dropped off. If you need to be somewhere by a specific time, you must tell the reservationist the appointment time when you reserve the trip. This applies to your return trip as well.  Our system will calculate the time needed to take you to your destination, and the reservationist will give you an available departure and return time.

More About the Day of Your Trip
After reading On the Day of Your Trip, please be aware that you may phone Transit Control for information about your trip’s estimated arrival time and location before the scheduled pick-up time; during the 30 minutes waiting period; or afterwards.  Call 877-337-2017 and dial #1 for English or #2 for Spanish when you hear the menu, then press #5 for Transit Control. 

Where AAR Can Take You
AAR paratransit service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in New York City’s five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

In Conclusion
MTA New York City Transit AAR provides millions of trips a year for eligible customers in the New York City area. Some people use us on a regular basis, while others take paratransit occasionally. AAR does its part to make our city accessible to everyone. If you plan to visit New York, we hope to be of service to you too.

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How to Apply

Applications for Access-A-Ride will no longer be available on our web page effective March 2, 2007. The new application procedure is described below.

The MTA Board of Directors approved a new Access-A-Ride (AAR) application process in January 2007, which includes a visit to an assessment center in the borough where the applicant lives. The new procedure puts AAR in step with the rest of the country's paratransit services.

AAR provides transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service for some or all of their trips. Assessment reports have information often left off the application or missing from a doctor's note. When an applicant has a face-to-face interview with a medical professional and undergoes functional testing (where appropriate), our certifiers get a clearer picture of an applicant's travel ability. This knowledge lets certifiers assign an appropriate eligibility status to applicants: (1) full, (2) conditional, (3) continuing eligibility (4) full temporary (5) conditional temporary or (6) ineligible. (This should reduce time-consuming appeals by customers who disagree with their eligibility status.)

How the new procedure works:

Beginning March 5, 2007 new applicants and those being recertified will need to go to an assessment center as part of the eligibility determination process.

Applicants must call 877-337-2017, press #1 for English and #1 to speak with customer information staff. (Customers who are being recertified will receive a notice in the mail about the new procedure.) Applicants and those being recertified who agree to visit an assessment center will be told that in about five days, they will receive an application and a letter providing the date, time and location of their appointment and instructions for scheduling a round-trip visit to the assessment center. The cost of transportation is $2 each way.

On April 2, 2007, a form letter will be mailed to AAR customers who must recertify by May 31, 2007 informing them of the new application process.

After April 2, 2007, our office will return all applications to the sender with instructions that describe the new application procedure.

If you have an AAR application, it can only be used before Friday, March 2, 2007. After March 2, it will be void and must be discarded.

A decision will be made about your eligibility within 21 days after you visit the assessment center. If you are denied eligibility or given conditional eligibility, you have a right to appeal the decision within 60 days of notification. Appeal instructions and an appeal form are included with the notification letter.

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Fare

The one-way fare for each registered passenger and each guest is the same as the full fare on mass transit. Please pay the driver the exact amount at the time of your ride. AAR drivers do not provide change. AAR fares are collected prior to the vehicle's departure. AAR drivers are not required to transport any persons who do not pay the fare. Round-trip fares are not accepted.

AAR TransitChek coupons are accepted as fare payment. Each coupon is good for one trip.

AAR customers ride reduced fare on NYC Transit local and express buses & subways and MTA Bus local and express buses.

Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) ride free when accompanying AAR customers whose IDs indicate they travel with a PCA.

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Hours of Operation

Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.

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How to Arrange for a Trip

Call the Paratransit Command Center at 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4257 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 between 7 am and 5 pm daily, one to two days in advance of your trip. When the recorded message begins, press "2." You will be connected to a reservationist. Please have the following information ready:

The reservationist will tell you while you are on the telephone whether or not your trip request can be accommodated. You may be offered an alternate pick-up or return time.


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On the Day of Your Trip

Please have your exact fare and ID card ready at the time of your pick-up. Be ready to travel at your scheduled pick-up time and be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes after that time. The 30-minute waiting period begins at your scheduled pick-up time and ends 30 minutes later. (AAR vehicles arriving during this 30-minute waiting period are considered on time.) The driver must wait for you for 5 minutes from the time the vehicle arrives during or past the 30-minute waiting period. A driver arriving early must wait until 5 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time before leaving. If you are not at the pick-up location, the driver will leave after waiting 5 minutes.

Please do not leave your pick-up location to call before the end of the 30-minute waiting period.

If the AAR vehicle does not arrive by the end of the 30-minute period, please call 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4258 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220. When the recorded message begins, press "5." You will be connected to a customer information agent who will assist you.

 

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Guests and Personal Care Attendants

Customers may bring one guest with them when traveling on AAR. Customers approved to travel with a PCA may bring the PCA and one guest; all must travel to and from the same destination. Guests and customers pay the same fare and PCAs travel free of charge on AAR. Children can be guests and are charged a fare, as with other mass transit, except an infant held in the parent's lap. The parent is responsible for securing the child in a seat, and should provide a carrier or car seat. Please remember to inform the reservationist that you are bringing a guest or PCA when reserving a trip so that seats are reserved. PCAs travel at no additional charge on AAR, NYC Transit subways, local and express buses.

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Driver Assistance

As long as the driver doesn't lose sight of the vehicle, she or he can assist you to and from the vehicle. However, a driver will not enter any buildings. The driver will help you up or down the curb or one step and will assist you to board the vehicle. If you have packages, the driver will carry two bags totaling 40 pounds to the outside door of your destination.

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How to Cancel a Trip

Trips must be canceled by 5 pm the day before a scheduled ride by calling 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999 TTY 718-393-4257 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220.

After you are connected, press "4." A reservationist will cancel your trip. (AAR counts a late cancellation or a failure to appear for a trip as a violation. Seven or more violations within a six-month period could result in a period of suspension of your paratransit service.)


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What to do if an AAR Vehicle is Late

If your AAR vehicle has not arrived 30 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time, you may call the Paratransit Command Center at 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4258 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 for a trip status. When the recorded message begins, press "5." You will be connected to a customer information agent (CIA). The CIA will contact the carrier to find out the AAR vehicle's estimated time of arrival (ETA) and its location. The CIA will tell you the ETA and the location of the scheduled vehicle or will dispatch another AAR vehicle to pick you up.

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Taxicab/Car Service Authorization and Reimbursement

If the scheduled AAR vehicle or another AAR vehicle is unavailable within a reasonable period of time, the CIA can authorize a taxi or car service for customers able to arrange for them. In those instances, a CIA will give you an authorization number to take either a taxicab or car service. You are then responsible for paying the full fare plus any tolls and obtaining a receipt from the driver. You must submit a written request for reimbursement to NYC Transit. NYC Transit will reimburse you for the total cost of the trip (including up to a 15% tip), minus the full AAR Paratransit fare.

Your reimbursement request must include your name, address and AAR ID number, NYC Transit authorization number, original taxicab meter receipt or original car service receipt, including the car service name and telephone number (with the fare amount plus tolls), and the date of the trip. NYC Transit does not accept copies or faxes of taxicab or car service receipts and will return any request that does not include the necessary documentation.

Receipts that appear altered may be rejected and the amount of reimbursement may be limited when it seems excessive.

Please mail requests to: AAR Taxicab Reimbursements, MTA NYC Transit, Paratransit Division, 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

NYC Transit also reserves the right to offer customers conditional authorization subject to verification that your same day pick-up problem was NYC Transit's responsibility. You will not be reimbursed for taxicab or car service fare if NYC Transit determines that you are responsible for the problem.

NYC Transit will not authorize taxicab or car service for customers who are:

  1. Not ready to travel when the AAR vehicle arrives within the 30-minute time period.
  2. Not at the scheduled pick-up location when the AAR vehicle arrives.
  3. Finished with appointments early and want a return trip prior to the scheduled pick-up time.

In the event NYC Transit offers you an alternate trip on AAR, you have the option of either waiting for the AAR vehicle or taking a taxicab or car service at your own expense. The scheduled arrival time for an alternate trip may be up to one hour after the trip is offered.

If you are delayed but wish to keep your return-trip reservation, call the Command Center at 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4258 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 and press "5" to be connected to a CIA at least 60 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time to reschedule your return trip.

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Subscription Service

Paratransit subscription service is for AAR customers who make a trip that starts at the same place and ends at the same destination at the same time one or more days a week. These trips are automatically scheduled which eliminates the need to call in advance for each trip. Call the Customer Information Line at 877-337-2017, 718-393-4999, TTY 718-393-4259 or TTY Relay 800-662-1220 and press "1" to request an application for subscription service.

Note: Subscription service is subject to availability.

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No Show/Late Cancellation Violations

Any time you cancel after 5 pm on the day before you are scheduled to travel or do not appear for your scheduled trip, you will receive a violation. NYC Transit counts violations on a rolling six-month basis. This means if you receive a violation on June 1, it counts towards a suspension until December 1. You may not dispute an individual violation at the time it occurs.

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Notification of Suspension and Right to Appeal

If your travel record shows that you have accumulated at least seven violations in six months or less, you may receive a Notice of Suspension. The Notice includes a list of each trip that was cancelled late or for which you are recorded as a no-show, the dates the suspension is scheduled to begin and end, and instructions for filing an appeal.

You may appeal a Notice of Suspension in writing or by requesting an in-person hearing. To appeal a scheduled suspension, you must show specifically which trips you think should not be listed as violations, and why. You should provide any documentation that is relevant to your reasons for missing these trips or canceling them late. Please keep records and documentation relating to your travel on AAR in case you receive a Notice of Suspension and wish to appeal.

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Suspension

If you do not appeal a Notice of Suspension, or if your appeal is unsuccessful, your AAR service will be suspended. First-time suspensions last for two weeks. Second suspensions are set for three weeks, and third or subsequent suspensions are four weeks in length.

If you have subscription service and are suspended for violating the No-Show/Late Cancellation Policy, your subscription will be cancelled as well. You may not reapply for subscription service until four months after your suspension ends.

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Complaints/Commendations/Suggestions

Customer service representatives can take your complaints, comments and suggestions by telephone. Please contact us at 718-330-3322 or TTY 718-596-8273. If you prefer, write to us at:

Access-A-Ride, MTA NYC Transit, Paratransit Division, 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

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