Paratransit evaluations now required

Andy Holtmann

Tuesday, July 29, 1997 | 9:46 a.m.

The demand for paratransit services provided by Citizens Area Transit is so high that people who want to use the buses must now be evaluated to determine whether they need them.

Priority goes to those who are disabled.

An open house Monday at the Jean Hanna Clark Rehabilitation Center on Shadow Lane offered a look into the evaluations.

Kurt Weinrich, director of Regional Transportation Commission, which conducts the evaluations, said because paratransit buses are at capacity, it's important to ensure that people who could take regular buses aren't taking advantage of the system.

"We are faced with a growing population and a limited capacity," Weinrich said. "We need to make sure those people who need to be on the paratransit buses are being served."

Unlike regular buses, paratransit buses provide door-to-door service for elderly and disabled people who request it.

The Americans With Disabilities Act says that people with disabilities should be given priority. Weinrich said this applies to the paratransit service.

Those interested in applying for service now have to schedule an appointment for an evaluation at the Jean Hanna Clark Rehabilitation Center. A paratransit bus will be sent if a ride is needed.

Applicants are taken through a series of physical and mental tests to determine if they truly need service or if they could use regular buses.

The evaluation is free as is the card. At $1 per ride, paratransit service is the same as regular buses.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, attended the open house.

"We need to ensure that federal law is being enforced with respect to our disabled population," she said. "In some aspects I can see that as a community we are doing very well, but there are still complaints about waiting time and lack of buses."

State Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, said it's right to give priority to the disabled.

"Las Vegas has a growing population of people with special needs and our community openly accepts these people," Wiener said. "Programs like this serve to address their concerns."