MTM Transit Assessments Save TriMet More than $900,000 Each Year

Beginning in April 2010, MTM Transit helped TriMet design and implement improvements for its ADA eligibility process. For public transit entities that provide complementary ADA transportation, MTM Transit assessments ensure appropriate use of costly paratransit services by providing impartial assessments that eliminate false positives. In Portland, our assessment method includes an in-person interview, as well as a physical and/or cognitive functional evaluation. Additionally, MTM Transit helped TriMet integrate a new three-year recertification process for current paratransit users.

Our eligibility assessments remain in strict accordance with ADA regulations to determine if consumers can safely utilize fixed route instead of paratransit. Instead of considering a medical diagnosis as a firm eligibility determination, assessments focus on each consumer’s actual functional and cognitive abilities. Through an in-person assessment, MTM Transit’s local evaluators utilize recognized tools such as the Functional Assessment of Cognitive Transit Skills (FACTS) test to determine environmental, architectural, and personal barriers that may impact a consumer’s ability to safely and independently access public transit. In all cases, assessments utilize the standards and methodologies of national organizations such as the National Transit Institute (NTI) and Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA).