paratransit

noun

para·​tran·​sit ˌper-ə-ˈtran(t)-sət 

-ˈtran-zət,

ˌpa-rə-

: transportation service that supplements larger public transit systems by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables

Examples of paratransit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

City Hall’s accounting trick The budget submitted on Feb. 13, 2020, set aside $4.8 million to pay for zero fare buses and paratransit service, with the idea that the KCATA’s private and public partners would pitch in an equal or greater amount. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2024

Staley joined in June 2022 to help the city restructure its paratransit system, which was often plagued by customer complaints over unreliable services. —Detroit Free Press, 22 Aug. 2023

Staley spent 29 years in the paratransit industry prior to joining DDOT. —Detroit Free Press, 22 Aug. 2023

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is putting out an emergency contract to continue paratransit services after City Council approved, then denied, a $49-million contract with Transdev at its final session. —Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. 2022

Elsewhere in the state, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority will get $10,134,960 to replace older buses and Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority will get $2,307,200 to upgrade its maintenance facility and replace older paratransit vehicles, Brown’s office said. —Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, 10 Mar. 2022

For IndyGo, that means no buses have fares, including paratransit service; for Pacers, that means unlimited 30-minute trips, thanks to the support of Knozone, a city sustainability initiative; for Carmel, the free rides require a code that will be shared on the Bike Carmel Facebook page. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Sep. 2021

Callers described facing long lines at state-run vaccination sites without adequate seating, in addition to inaccessible models, such as drive-thru vaccination sites that were incompatible with public transportation or paratransit services that many people with disabilities use, according to Rico. —Meena Venkataramanan, The Arizona Republic, 11 July 2021

Civil rights attorney Britney Wilson recalls a ride home from work on NYC’s paratransit that exposed her vulnerabilities as a Black disabled woman. —Sari Botton, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above