ADA Paratransit

These are some points to remember when using Paratransit:

• Be ready during the half-hour pick-up window.
• Remember the pick-up time of your reservation.
• Be waiting where the driver can easily find you.
• Drivers provide origin to destination assistance - they cannot enter your home at any time.
• Wheelchairs need properly working brakes.

Your driver will assist you in loading and unloading grocery bags. Drivers cannot carry bags from the stores into homes. You should take only as many bags/packages as you can manage. Be sure that your bags do not block the walkways or use any seating needed by other riders.

Remember that ADA is a shared ride service. Please plan to ride up to one hour en route to your destination. Other passengers may be picked up and dropped off along the way.

Our ADA service is comparable service of our fixed route transit system. Please see the schedule for more detailed information. 

One Personal Care Attendant (PCA) may ride with an ADA certified individual on a trip at no charge. The PCA must ride to and from the same destination as the ADA passenger.

Companion(s) may accompany an ADA certified individual on a trip, in addition to a PCA. Companions pay full fare and must travel to and from the same destination as the ADA passenger. However, advance notice is needed to ensure space availability.

Portable Oxygen and/or Respirators are permitted for an individual with a disability traveling on all paratransit vehicles.

Lift Use by Ambulatory Passengers or Standees is allowed for passengers when needed.

No-Show Policy is available online or by calling 207-992-4670 to request a copy.

Accessible Formats such as large print, braille and Spanish version of our informational materials are available upon request by calling 207-992-4670 or emailing community.connector@bangormaine.gov.

ADA Paratransit Overview & Who Is Eligible

• The expectation is that most persons with disabilities can and will use the regular fixed route bus system. Please note that all buses are capable of handling 2 passengers in wheelchairs at a time. Our lift and kneeling features also assist with passengers unable to climb the stairs.
• Individuals who are interested in using ADA Paratransit Service must apply and be found eligible according to ADA Guidelines. The (FTA) Federal Transit Administration is responsible for setting these guidelines. (CFR 49)
• ADA Paratransit is double the fare of the fixed route system. Currently, the ADA Paratransit fare is $3 each way/$6 round trip.
• ADA Paratransit service area is ¾ of mile beyond the regular fixed route system.

• ADA Paratransit Application (PDF): Fill out, sign, and mail to the Community Connector at 475 Maine Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401. The signed form can also be faxed to 207-945-4992. 
  • Call 207-992-4670 or email the Community Connector Department to have an application mailed to you. Make sure you to leave your name, address with zip code. One will be mailed to you within 72 hours.
• When receiving your application back, we will contact you to set up a personal interview in our office. At the interview, we will explain the program in more detail and answer any question you may have.
• You will be notified in writing of our decision of your eligibility.

What to bring to the interview

• Photo ID - If you do not have a photo ID, let employees know when scheduling the interview.
• Documentation of your health condition or disability
• Inform staff if you need special accommodations due to your disability.

Interview Process

• Staff will review application with the applicant.
• Staff will ask a series of questions regarding your abilities and limitations.
• Staff may ask the applicant to do some fundamental or cognitive testing.

Types of Eligibility

Conditional - Applicant is unable to use the fixed route service during certain times.

Unconditional - Applicant's disability prevents them from using the fixed route bus service.

Temporary - Applicant has a health condition that temporarily prevents them from using the fixed route bus service.

Trip-by-Trip refers to paratransit eligibility for some trips but not all. The customers ability to use fixed route service is likely to change with differing circumstance. Conditional eligibility may be appropriate for applicants who can reasonably be expected to use the fixed route service for trips where barriers that prevent travel are not present, but who cannot be expected to use fixed route service under other conditions (lack of sidewalks, inclement weather conditions, and traffic).

Out of town visitors with a disability that prevents them from using the regular fixed route service or that are ADA certified by another transit system may use our system for 21 days of service within a 365-day period. After 21 service days, the Community Connector must then certify visitors if they wish to continue.

If the individual has no such documentation of ADA paratransit eligibility, then the individual is to provide documentation of residence outside of the Bangor are and if the individual's disability is not apparent, proof of the disability. Acceptable proof of disability includes a letter from a doctor or the visitor's statement of inability to use fixed route system. Community Connector should provide visitor status within 24 hours upon receiving such a request.

Passengers may request a Reasonable Modification from Community Connector for Fixed Route and ADA Paratransit Service.

• Via Email sherri.clark@bangormaine.gov
• Phone 207-992-4676

Leave your name, phone number and your request. Please allow 72 hours for a response. 49CFR 37.5 (i) (3)

How to Schedule a Trip

• Call automated voicemail system at 207-992-4673
• Speak to an ADA Dispatchers to at 207-992-4670
  • Check on the status of a ride
  • Cancel a trip

Office Hours

Monday to Friday - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Service Hours

5:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Must be comparable for each bus route; see bus schedules in the rider's guide for more information.

Paratransit on the Black Bear Orono Express corridor may be fare free. The trip's origin and destination must remain within the 3/4 mile of the Black Bear Orono Express and during the days and times of operation of the BBOE.

Fare

• $3 per person one-way
• $6 per person round-trip
• Please use exact fare, drivers do not carry change.

• Service Animals are permitted on paratransit vehicles.
• Please remember you must be in control of your service animal at all times.
• Pets must be in a pet carrier.

A service animal is any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to perform a task for an individual with a disability, including but not limited to guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair or fetching dropped items.