Paratransit scheduling that holds the ADA service criteria while the runs still fill
Paratransit scheduling is the work of turning individual next day trip requests from riders with disabilities into vehicle runs that meet the ADA service criteria. Federal rules at 49 CFR Part 37 require complementary service within 0.75 miles of every fixed route, at a fare no more than twice the fixed route fare, with no trip purpose restrictions and no capacity denials. The Americans with Disabilities Act set that floor in 1990. Neurobird builds the runs and keeps the evidence behind them.
Drag a job onto a dispatcher to assign it.
Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling in short
- Take next day and subscription trips against a rider eligibility record that is actually current
- Build runs that respect lift capacity, mobility device, ride time and the pickup window
- Rebuild a run in minutes when a cancel or a no show blows it up mid morning
- 0.75 mi Complementary paratransit must serve the corridor within three quarters of a mile on each side of every fixed route the agency operates. eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37, Subpart F
- 2x fare The fare for a complementary paratransit trip may not exceed twice the fare a rider would pay for a comparable fixed route trip. eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37
- Pricing runs 95 to 420 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What transit agencies and paratransit contractors actually deal with
Why it stays broken
Scheduling software for demand response was built for large urban agencies and priced for them. Everyone below roughly 100 vehicles ends up in a spreadsheet, a phone log and a dispatcher who has memorised the county.
A single cancel at the door can cost a dispatcher 40 minutes of rebuilding while 12 other riders wait.
An accessible route shall not be required between site arrival points and the building or facility entrance if the only means of access between them is a vehicular way not providing pedestrian access.
Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling Dispatch Platform
Hold eligibility, standing orders and trip requests in one record, then build runs against the actual constraints: lift positions, ride time and the pickup window.
- 1Take next day and subscription trips against a rider eligibility record that is actually current
- 2Build runs that respect lift capacity, mobility device, ride time and the pickup window
- 3Rebuild a run in minutes when a cancel or a no show blows it up mid morning
- 4Keep the evidence that no trip was denied for capacity, which is what a compliance review asks for
What changes with Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling |
|---|---|
| Next day requests arrive by phone until 5pm and the runs have to be built that evening, by hand, in about 3 hours | Take next day and subscription trips against a rider eligibility record that is actually current |
| One late cancel at the door reshuffles a run that took 40 minutes to build, and the dispatcher rebuilds it live | Build runs that respect lift capacity, mobility device, ride time and the pickup window |
| The eligibility file, the standing orders and the trip log sit in 3 different systems that do not agree | Rebuild a run in minutes when a cancel or a no show blows it up mid morning |
Who is this for?
Same rules, three different operations.
You run under 20 vehicles
You cannot justify enterprise scheduling software, so runs get built by hand every evening. You need the build time back.
You operate for an agency
You are measured on on time performance and denials. You need the evidence, not just the schedule.
You assign trips to providers
Several operators, one rider pool. You need trips assigned by capability and cost rather than by habit.
How does Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling work?
Keep eligibility current
Rider records carry mobility device, lift requirement, PCA and expiry date, so the scheduler is not guessing which vehicle can take which trip.
Build the run against real constraints
Windows, ride time, lift positions and the 0.75 mile corridor are checked as the run assembles, not after the manifest prints.
Rebuild without starting over
A cancel or a no show reflows the affected run only, so the dispatcher edits 1 run at 9am instead of rebuilding the morning.
What the ADA actually requires of complementary paratransit
Useful if you are writing a service plan or answering a compliance review. Each source links out.
Complementary paratransit must serve the corridor within three quarters of a mile on each side of every fixed route the agency operates.
eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37, Subpart FThe fare for a complementary paratransit trip may not exceed twice the fare a rider would pay for a comparable fixed route trip.
eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, and its transportation provisions still set the service floor every schedule has to hit.
ADA.gov, law and regulationsAccessibility guidelines for transportation vehicles date from 1991 and determine which vehicle can carry which mobility device, a hard constraint on any run.
US Access Board, ADA guidelinesFederal transportation datasets are published openly, so an agency can benchmark demand response performance without waiting for a consultant.
US DOT open data portalParatransit scheduling software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is paratransit scheduling?
- Paratransit scheduling is the work of turning individual trip requests from riders with disabilities into vehicle runs that meet the ADA service criteria. Unlike a fixed route, there is no timetable to fall back on: every trip is negotiated into a run that already has other riders, other windows and a finite number of lift positions.
- What does the ADA actually require of the service?
- Complementary paratransit must cover the corridor within three quarters of a mile of each fixed route, at a fare no higher than twice the fixed route fare, with next day service, no restrictions on trip purpose and no capacity constraints. Those criteria sit in 49 CFR Part 37, Subpart F.
Can we deny a trip because the runs are full?
No. The rule prohibits capacity constraints, including waiting lists, trip caps and a pattern of missed or excessively long trips. That is why the scheduling record matters as much as the schedule: you need to show trips were served, not just that they were requested.
Does this replace our dispatch radio or MDT?
No. It builds and holds the schedule. Whatever you use in the vehicle keeps working, and the run manifest, the eligibility record and the trip history live here instead of in 3 places.
How do subscription trips fit in?
Standing orders for dialysis, day programs and work trips are scheduled once and repeat, and they consume the same lift positions as everything else. Treating them as a separate list is how agencies end up double booking a vehicle.
Why we are building this
Paratransit is one of the few services where the law tells you exactly what quality means: no capacity denials, next day service, a fare cap and a defined corridor. The hard part is meeting that with a finite number of lift positions.
The scheduling tools that solve it well are built for the largest agencies. Everyone else is doing combinatorics on paper at 6pm.
We would rather build this with dispatchers than with consultants. Tell us how your evening actually goes, and where we have got it wrong.
Where the requirement comes from
The rule, the statute and the guidelines that govern the service.
- eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37 The Department of Transportation ADA rule: eligibility, service criteria and the prohibition on capacity constraints.
- eCFR, 49 CFR Part 37, Subpart F Complementary paratransit specifically, including the corridor, response time and fare provisions.
- ADA.gov, the law and regulations The statute itself, useful when a service policy has to be traced back to the source.
- US Access Board, ADA guidelines Accessibility guidelines covering vehicles and facilities, which decide what a given van can actually carry.
How much does Neurobird Paratransit Scheduling cost?
Priced per vehicle in service because that is what limits the schedule. Unlimited dispatchers and riders on every tier.
- Rider eligibility records
- Trip intake
- Run building
- Printable manifests
- Email support
- Everything in Small fleet
- Subscription trips
- Live rebuild on cancel
- Denial and on time reporting
- Named contact
- Everything in Agency
- Multi contractor coordination
- Brokerage trip assignment
- Compliance evidence pack
- Onboarding included
Get free early access
If you schedule paratransit, tell us how the runs get built today and what breaks them.
Straight answer on where this is: In development. Early access gets the working preview, influence on what ships first, and early access pricing. It does not get you a login today.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.