Big Bend Transit Inc. is committed to providing safe & reliable transportation to the public in the big bend area. If you need a ride, call us.  We can help. We can take you to a Doctor's appointment, work or just a trip to the local grocery store.  We can take you there. Staff at one of our local branches is standing by.  Rates vary per county.

Big Bend Transit services are available seven days a week from 6am - 10pm in Leon County, six days a week from 6am - 8pm in Gadsden County, and six days a week from 6am - 6pm in Jefferson, Madison and Taylor Counties.

What is paratransit exactly?

Typically, paratransit is a specialized, door-to-door transport service for people with disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route public transportation.

This may be due to an inability to:

• board, ride or disembark independently from any readily accessible vehicle on the regular fixed-route system
• access existing accessible fixed-route transportation because that transportation is not available at the needed time on that route
• get to boarding/alighting locations of regular public transportation

Paratransit is normally provided in a demand-responsive mode (i.e., the person with a disability must make a telephone call to arrange service). The goal of the paratransit program is to ensure that all Americans have access to transit to meet basic mobility needs.

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 guarantees that people with disabilities have the same rights as other citizens to access services and facilities that are available to the public, including transportation.  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the enforcement of ADA's transportation requirements.

Eligibility Requirements

Since most true paratransit services are subsidized by federal, state or county governments, or other municipal agencies, riders must be able to meet eligibility requirements. (Note: Individuals may be eligible for paratransit on the basis of a permanent or temporary disability. Whether permanently or temporarily disabled, the individual must meet one of three eligibility criteria.)

Category 1:

Individuals who, because of a physical or mental impairment, are unable to board, ride or disembark independently from any readily accessible vehicle on the regular fixed-route system. Among others, this category includes people with mental or visual impairments who, as a result of their disability, cannot navigate the system. This means that, if an individual needs an attendant to board, ride or disembark from an accessible fixed-route vehicle (including navigating the system), the individual is eligible for paratransit.

Category 2:

Also eligible are those people with a physical or mental impairment who could use accessible fixed-route transportation, but the accessible fixed-route transportation is not available at the needed time on a particular route (the accessible vehicle is down for maintenance, the lift cannot be deployed, etc.).

Category 3:

Any individual with a specific impairment-related condition that prevents that person from traveling to a boarding location or from a disembarking location on the system. In this case, the impairment must prevent travel to or from a fixed-route stop. Significant inconvenience or difficulty does not form a basis for eligibility under this section. Further, barriers not under control of the public.