Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority

(304) 366-8177
  (304) 366-5295 (TDD)

ADA Paratransit Guidelines

Introduction

The Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) is the public transportation provider for Marion County.  Our goal is to provide caring, first-class service to our passengers, our community, and to each other.  Our vehicles are clean safe, comfortable and well-maintained, and our drivers are trained to serve you.

FMCTA is pleased to provide for the transportation needs of all the area’s residents and visitors, including those with disabilities.  To accomplish this goal, FMCTA operates:

  • Accessible bus and Flex service
  • ADA paratransit
  • Dial-A-Ride

Buses on routes and used in Flex service are lift-equipped so they are accessible for people who use a wheelchair or cannot climb stairs.  Our drivers receive special training in assisting individuals with disabilities.  Drivers announce stops at key destinations and upon request to help passengers find their stops.  You may travel with your respirator, concentrator, and portable oxygen.  Service animals are welcome onboard buses.  Our goal is to make our bus routes accessible to and convenient for everyone.  On our Flex service, buses will leave the route up to ¾ of a mile to pick you up or drop you off.

ADA paratransit provides comparable service to our route service for individuals whose disabling conditions prevent them from riding routes. ADA paratransit is provided according to the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and as outlined in this guide.  Persons who use this service must be certified as ADA paratransit eligible.  The certification is valid for five years at which time we will ask you to reapply.  A person must be eligible for all or some of their trip needs.

Dial-A-Ride provides curb-to-curb service to areas not served by our routes or ADA paratransit.

If you have any questions regarding this guide or our services, please call FMCTA at 304-366-8177contact us through our website, FMCTA.com.

Application Process

Any individual wishing to apply for ADA paratransit eligibility may:

  • Pick up an application at FMCTA office at 400 Quincy Street Fairmont
  • Call 304-366-8177 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to obtain an application by mail
  • Download the application.

Applicants must fill out entire form and answer each question as completely as possible.

Under the ADA, the standard for determining eligibility is not whether a disabling condition exists, but whether (or under what circumstances) the applicant’s disabling condition prevents him or her from using the fixed-route bus service.  In some cases, eligibility is established for certain circumstances only.

An eligibility determination will be made, and the applicant will be notified in writing, within 21 days.

Visitors

Visitors can ride ADA paratransit service.  To ride the service, either fax, email, or mail:

  1. Documentation that you are already eligible for ADA paratransit (a copy of your eligibility letter or your photo ID), or
  2. Documentation that you have a disability, such as a note from a treating professional, and documentation of residence, such as a utility bill.

Visitors may also apply in person at our office at 400 Quincy Street Fairmont.  When applying in person, no documentation of disability is required if the disability is apparent.

A visitor may ride the service for up to 21 days over a year, starting with the first day of travel.  To continue to ride after 21 days of service are provided, you must apply for eligibility.

Service Area

ADA paratransit operates within ¾ mile on either side of an FMCTA route.  All trips must take place within the defined service area.  We will determine whether your trip is in the ADA paratransit service area when you call to schedule a ride.

Service Hours

ADA paratransit operates Monday through Friday.  Depending on your location, trips can be scheduled for pickup as early as 6:45 a.m. and a drop-off as late as 6:00 p.m.  For service after 6:00 pm weekdays and on Saturdays, FMCTA offers Flex service.

No service is provided on Sundays and the following holidays:

  • New Year’s Day
  • Memorial Day
  • 4th of July
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas Day

Connecting Service

FMCTA connects with bus service in Morgantown operated by Mountain Line Transit Authority/Grey Line, bus service in Clarksburg operated by Central West Virginia Transit Authority, and I-Ride 79 service to Charleston operated by Barons Bus.  I-Ride 79 connects with bus service in Charleston operated by Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority.  Connecting service can be scheduled to and from common connecting/transfer points where services meet for passenger transfers.  It is the responsibility of the passenger to schedule with the other agency for connecting service required to complete their trip.  Passengers must pay the fare for the connecting service.  Pre­qualification with Mountain Line Transit Authority/Grey Line, Central West Virginia Transit Authority, and Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority may be required.

Schedule and fare information can be found at:

Mountain Line Transit Authority/Grey Line
(304) 291-RIDE (7433)
busride.org

Central West Virginia Transit Authority (CENTRA)
(304) 623-6002
(304) 623-2950 (TDD)
centrabus.com

Barons Bus (I-Ride 79)
(888) 378-3823
baronsbus.com

Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KRT)
(304) 343-7586
rideonkrt.com

Trip Restrictions

ADA paratransit is designed to be comparable to route service.  Just as with our routes, there are no trip restrictions or ranking of trips by trip purpose.

Fares

The ADA paratransit fare is the same as the bus fare.  A fare is charged for each leg of the trip and varies by zone.  Click here for the fares.

Payment is required at the time of boarding.  Fares may be paid with cash or with tickets.  Tickets may be purchased at the FMCTA office at 400 Quincy Street, Fairmont.

Curb-to-Curb Service

ADA paratransit is curb-to-curb service.  FMCTA asks that passengers be ready for pickup at the curb.  However, if you require assistance to and from the van to the door, please let us know and the driver will assist you.  The path from the van to the door must be accessible.  Drivers will NOT assist passengers using wheelchairs up or down steps or steep/narrow ramps.  Please arrange with someone else to assist you.

Personal Care Attendants and Companions

If you require the assistance of a personal care attendant, the personal care attendant travels with you for free.  At the time of scheduling a ride, please indicate if you will have a personal care attendant with you.  Of course, the attendant must get on and off at the same locations as you do.

At least one companion, more if space is available, may accompany you.  Each companion will pay a fare. At the time of scheduling a ride, please indicate the number of companions who will accompany you.  Of course, companions must get on and get off at the same locations as you do.

A person requiring the services of a personal care attendant may also be accompanied by one or more companions.

Service Animals

Service animals are always welcome.  The passenger must have the service animal fully under control at all times.  Under the ADA, emotional support animals are not service animals.  Drivers cannot and will not assume any responsibility for service animals.  At the time of scheduling a ride, please indicate if a service animal will accompany you.

Scheduling Rides

Rides can be scheduled the day before the trip or up to 14 days in advance.  We offer reoccurring trips when possible.

To schedule a ride, please call 304-366-8177.  To speak to a dispatcher, call Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  A telephone answering machine is available on Sundays and holidays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  No requests for rides are accepted on Saturdays.

To help serve you better, we ask that you observe the following 3 tips:

  1. Prepare for your call
  2. Note your trip information
  3. Be ready to go at the scheduled time

Prepare for your call

Please have the following information ready when you call:

  • Name
  • Date of travel
  • Pickup address
  • Destination address
  • Desired pickup with appointment time
  • Whether you use a wheelchair or walker
  • Whether a personal care attendant, one or more companions, or service animal will accompany you

The dispatcher will let you know your pickup time.  FMCTA will make every effort to schedule your trip at the desired times.  The ADA allows the ride to be scheduled up to 1 hour before or 1 hour after the requested times.

Note your trip information

Please write your pickup time down.  This will help you remember them.  If you have a calendar, write the times on it.

Be ready to go at the scheduled time

Please be ready to go 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup time.  FMCTA makes every effort to arrive as close to the scheduled pickup time as possible.  However, FMCTA may arrive up to 10 minutes before or 20 minutes after the scheduled pickup time.

Example:  If you schedule a 9:30 a.m. pickup, the vehicle may arrive between 9:20 a.m. and 9:50 a.m.

This 30-minute window (of 10 minutes before to 20 minutes after the scheduled time) is called the pickup window.  Drivers, after arriving within the pickup window, will wait up to 5 minutes.  Any passenger, who is not at his or her scheduled pickup point and ready to go by that time, will be considered a no-show, and the driver will leave to pick up other riders.  The driver may return for a second attempt, provided the passenger has been detained during a medical appointment.  If you know that you will be detained during a medical appointment, please call FMCTA at 304-366-8177 as soon as possible.  When you are ready, call FMCTA and we will dispatch the next available van to pick you up.

Cancellations

If you are unable to make your scheduled ride for any reason, please call the office at 304-366-8177 no later than 4:00 p.m. the day before to cancel your ride.  Drivers cannot make schedule changes for you.  Cancellations made within 1 hour before the scheduled trip will be considered a no-show.

No-Show Policy

A no-show occurs when:

  • You fail to show up for your scheduled trip
  • You fail to cancel 1 hour before your scheduled trip
  • You are not ready within 5 minutes of the driver’s arrival during the pickup window

Riders will be suspended for no-shows if the following criteria are met during a 3-month period:

  1. No-shows represent 10 percent or more of their scheduled trips, AND
  2. The rider has three or more no-shows.

Only no-shows under your control will be counted.  You will be given an opportunity to appeal the suspension before the suspension takes effect.  Suspensions will be stayed during appeal.

After the second no-show, FMCTA will send you a warning letter.  If you are suspended, FMCTA will notify you by registered mail of the date on which the suspension will begin.  The date for the beginning of the suspension of service will be no less than 10 days from the date of the letter is sent.  The letter will indicate the times and dates of the no-shows that have occurred and your rights of appeal.

The length of the suspension depends on the number of suspensions:

First suspension:  5 days
Second suspension:  10 days
Third suspension:  15 days
Four or more suspensions:  30 days

Wheelchairs

The ADA defines a wheelchair as a mobility aid belonging to any class of 3- or more-wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed or modified for and used by individuals with mobility impairments, whether operated manually or powered.  We will make every effort to transport you and your wheelchair.  However, if you and your wheelchair weigh more than what our wheelchair lifts are rated to carry or the wheelchair is too big for the lift platform, we will be unable to transport you.  If it appears that the vehicle lift is strained, we will not be able to provide service until we have performed an evaluation.  Please call us at 304-366-8177 for an evaluation to determine whether we can accommodate your mobility device.

All wheelchairs and other mobility devices must be secured to the floor of the vehicle using the securement equipment.

In the case where a mobility device is incapable of being properly secured by the securement devices, the driver will recommend that you transfer to a seat.  In those cases, it will be up to you to decide to continue with the ride.

Driver Assistance

FMCTA drivers are specially trained to serve you.  Drivers will:

  • Deploy lifts and ramps for persons using mobility devices and those without mobility devices who cannot navigate the bus steps
  • Secure your wheelchairs
  • Assist you to and from the van to the first door of the building

To ensure your safety and the safety of our drivers, drivers will NOT:

  • Assist passengers using wheelchairs up or down steps or steep/narrow ramps
  • Carry packages
  • Dress passengers
  • Search a passenger’s body for appropriate fare or ticket
  • Clear pathways of ice, snow or other barriers

Please arrange with someone else to assist you.

General Ridership Policies

FMCTA has established the following general ridership policies for ADA paratransit.  Many of the policies also apply to bus and Dial-A-Ride service.

  • If a passenger uses oxygen, the tank must be portable, i.e., the passenger must be able to carry the tank into the vehicle him or herself, even if the passenger is in a wheelchair.  Once on board, the portable oxygen tank must ride in a secure location, for example, in the passenger’s lap, strapped to the wheelchair, in front of the passenger on the floor between seats, or on the floor behind the modesty panel.
  • All passengers must wear seatbelts.
  • All passengers using a wheelchair or scooter must use the restraint system that is used to secure the wheelchair or scooter to the floor of the vehicle.
  • The number of packages a passenger can have along is limited to the number of packages that the passenger can control.
  • For safety reasons, FMCTA may request that passengers be accompanied by a personal care attendant.
  • FMCTA may suspend or refuse service to any individual whose behavior and/or actions are violent, seriously disruptive, or illegal; cause a service interruption; or raise safety concerns.

Please click here for additional rider policies.

Appeals Process

You may appeal your eligibility determination or suspension from the program for violating the no-show policy.  An appeal of an eligibility determination must be submitted within 60 days of the date of the denial letter.  The suspension for violating the no-show policy will be stayed during the appeal.

Your request for an appeal must be in writing.  In the request either describe why you disagree with the determination or suspension or ask to present your case in person.  You or a representative of your choosing may be present on your behalf.  A written decision will be issued within 30 days the information for the appeal was received or the hearing was held.

Send appeal request to:
Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority
400 Quincy Street
Fairmont, WV 26554

Thank you for riding FMCTA.