Paratransit eligibility is one of the most critical, and complex, functions transit agencies manage. Yet for many, the process still feels overwhelmingly manual.
Paper applications, disconnected systems, and back-and-forth communication with applicants slow everything down. Staff spend hours tracking information, re-entering data, and managing workflows that don’t connect.
All of those additional hours managing a manual process add up quickly.
ADA guidelines require eligibility determinations are issued within 21 days of a completed application. But that clock rarely begins when an applicant submits their paperwork. Applications frequently require follow-ups, medical verification, or functional assessments, stretching the real timeline to several weeks or more from an applicant’s perspective.
Those delays don’t just affect your internal team. They affect your clients.
Delays and unclear communication frustrate clients before they ever use paratransit services. Manual processes also introduce real risks—like delayed eligibility determinations that leave clients without rides longer than they should, or application errors that result in applicants being denied simply because they didn’t fully understand or complete the form correctly. Together, these challenges make it harder to ensure decisions are consistent, fair, and ones your agency can confidently stand behind.
As demand for paratransit eligibility continues to grow, issues with managing paper applications, applicant’s asking clarifying questions, and disconnected systems grow with it.
Manual, inefficient systems that worked a few years ago are starting to break under today’s volume and expectations. The paratransit eligibility offices that are getting ahead aren’t just adding staff, they’re reducing friction. They’re integrating digital solutions. This simplifies workflows, centralizes data, and improves visibility across the entire process.
If your team is spending too much time on double- or triple-data entry and constantly following up with applicants, your team is forced to focus on paperwork instead of people. GetGoing can help you change this.