Glossary of METRO ParaCruz Terms

ADA Complementary Paratransit (METRO ParaCruz)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public providers of fixed route bus service to make transportation service available to persons with disabilities who are unable to use accessible fixed route bus service. METRO ParaCruz is the name given to the ADA Complementary Paratransit provided by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO). METRO ParaCruz service must be comparable to fixed route service in seven key areas: service area, days and hours of service, fares, response time, travel time, trip purpose restrictions, and capacity constraints.

Appeals Process
The opportunity available to an METRO ParaCruz rider to dispute, before an independent panel, METRO decisions regarding his/her eligibility for service or suspension of service due to no-shows.

Cancellation
Notification from a rider to the METRO ParaCruz Provider that he/she will not be needing a scheduled ride. Cancellations should be made as early as possible, but must be made no later than one hour prior to a scheduled ride.

Driver Wait Time
A period of five minutes after the arrival of the vehicle at the pick-up location during which the driver will wait for the rider before departing. The vehicle may arrive at any time during the Ready Window for a particular trip; the driver will wait for the rider for five minutes after that time before leaving to pick up the next rider.

METRO Accessible Services Coordinator
The METRO staff person responsible for providing training and support for persons wanting to learn how to use the local fixed-route transit system and its accessible features and services.

METRO ParaCruz Eligibility
Four categories of persons seeking transportation in the METRO service area are eligible for METRO ParaCruz service:
  • Individuals who, because of a disability, are unable to board, ride, or exit independently from an accessible fixed route bus
  • Individuals who, because of a disability, are unable to travel to or from a bus stop
  • Visitors to the METRO service area who are eligible for METRO ParaCruz service in another community, and visitors with disabilities who are unable to use the METRO bus system
  • Personal Care Attendants and companions of ADA-eligible individuals

METRO ParaCruz Eligibility Coordinator
The METRO staff person responsible for overseeing the METRO ParaCruz eligibility determination process.

METRO Paratransit Administrator
The METRO staff person responsible for overseeing all aspects of the administration and delivery of METRO ParaCruz service.

Paratransit Users Advocate
The Central Coast Center for Independent Living (CCCIL) will act as a liaison, when needed, between METRO ParaCruz service riders and METRO with regard to service issues.

No-show
Failure of a rider (who has not properly cancelled a trip) to appear at the agreed-upon pick-up location within five minutes of the arrival of the vehicle at that spot. Three no-shows within a 90-day period may result in a 30-day suspension of a rider's METRO ParaCruz service.

Ready Window
A 30-minute period of time surrounding a requested METRO ParaCruz pick-up time (10-minutes before and 20-minutes after), during which the vehicle will arrive at the pick-up location. Example: for a requested pick-up time of 9:00 AM , the Ready Window would be from 8:50 AM to 9:20 AM . The METRO ParaCruz rider should be ready and waiting for the vehicle throughout the Ready Window.

Subscription Service
A standing reservation for a trip that a rider takes to the same place at the same time, at least once a week.

TTY
Text Telephone. A text messaging communication device the operates through the telephone system. Each address is assigned a phone number. Frequently used by persons with hearing or speech impairment as an alternative to the telephone. Text messaging functions similar to computerized instant messaging.