Johnson County commissioners direct staff to fold ADA paratransit recommendations into draft strategic transit plan

Johnson County Board of Commissioners Chair Mike Kelly on Thursday directed staff to incorporate consultant recommendations on paratransit into the county’s draft strategic transit plan, after a committee-of-the-whole presentation that described how implementing higher-frequency fixed routes will trigger federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit obligations.

The direction came after a presentation from Andrea Ostradka, a consultant with Tool Design Group, and county transit staff that recommended providing ADA complimentary paratransit within a three-quarter‑mile buffer of fixed routes during the same days and hours as those routes; standardizing eligibility using federal ADA criteria; and continuing an optional countywide non‑ADA paratransit layer funded and managed by the county.

The recommendations matter because raising fixed-route frequency on corridors such as Metcalf would legally require the county to offer ADA complimentary paratransit in the service area. Ostradka told commissioners that ADA requires complementary paratransit within three quarters of a mile of fixed routes, operating the same days and hours as those routes, and limiting fares to no more than twice the fixed-route fare.

County mobility director Lisa Womack said the county’s existing paratransit model grew into a hybrid, countywide program…