An Experimental Evaluation of Same Day Services for Public Transit Riders with Disabilities

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ACA) requires public transit agencies to provide comparable paratransit services to riders with disabilities. However, unlike fixed-route transit riders who can generally take trips on-demand, paratransit users are often required to book trips a day in advance, constraining their mobility. In partnership with King County Metro (KCM), we conduct a randomized controlled evaluation of a same-day-service (SDS) paratransit pilot in King County, Washington, an area encompassing Seattle and 38 other cities. Outcomes of interest include mobility, health, and wellbeing, which are to be measured through surveys and administrative data. The project is currently in a pre-pilot phase designed to collect evidence for the full RCT, which is expected to launch in the spring of 2024.