Metro News Release
For immediate release: April 5, 2010
Metro to host discussion on MetroAccess eligibility certification
Public invited to attend meeting on Monday, April 19
The Metro Office of Eligibility Certification will meet with the Accessibility Advisory Committee at a special meeting on Monday, April 19, to discuss changes that are being made to the MetroAccess eligibility process and the Reduced Fare Program for people with disabilities.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Metro Headquarters, Lobby Level Meeting Room, 600 Fifth Street NW, Washington DC. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and share comments after a presentation is made.
Anyone who needs reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting should notify Metro by calling 202-962-6060 and selecting option 5.
Metro officials will discuss plans to implement conditional eligibility in July. “Conditional eligibility means that, to the extent that they are functionally able, people with disabilities will be eligible to use MetroAccess for some trips while using Metro’s fully accessible Metrobus and Metrorail service for others,” said Frank Roth, Director of Eligibility Certification.
For instance, a person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma might be able to take Metrobus or Metrorail for some trips but would need to take MetroAccess when outside temperatures become too hot or cold.
Customers who are deemed conditionally eligible to use MetroAccess service will continue to ride for free on Metrobus and Metrorail. Metro has a free travel training program that teaches people with disabilities how to travel safely and independently on Metro’s fully accessible bus and rail system.
Metro has been providing free, one-day, individual or group Metro system orientations for more than five years as part of its Metro is Accessible program. In February, Metro expanded its efforts to teach people with disabilities how to use public transportation by launching a Regional Travel Training Program in partnership with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Applicants for MetroAccess service undergo an application, interview and evaluation process in which eligibility is determined based on professional medical verification of their disability and a functional assessment of their ability to use accessible Metrobus and Metrorail service. Applicants receive full eligibility if it is determined that they are unable, as a result of their disability, to use accessible bus or train service independently or if they are unable to travel to or from a bus stop or rail station due to a disability.
Applicants who do not qualify for MetroAccess may qualify for Metro’s Reduced Fare Program, which allows people with disabilities who have a valid Metro Disability ID card to ride for discounted fare on Metrorail, Metrobus and on other participating bus service providers.
For more information about MetroAccess eligibility requirements and the application process, please see MetroAccess Eligibility.
News release issued at 2:43 pm, April 5, 2010.