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Paratransit Riders Will Not Get Travel Priority During 405 Closure

By Zach Behrens
July 14, 2011
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Disabled travelers who rely on paratransit services in Los Angeles County are hearing the same message everyone is when it comes to this weekend's closure of the 405 Freeway: "plan ahead, avoid the area or stay home."

"Access is delivering the exact save message as Metro to all of our riders," said Shelly Verrinder, the Executive Director of Access Services, the second-largest transit agency in the region. "Access vehicles will not have any travel priority in the impacted area, so it's important that riders prepare for what could be very long delays. Riders should make sure they have adequate supplies of food, water, medicine, or medical testing equipment on their person each time they board an Access vehicle."

Access will set up a special command center at its headquarters to assist vehicles with re-routing and alternate routes. Riders are encouraged to call the customer service center at (800) 827-0829 for updates and delay information.

The agency, which was founded under the Americans with Disabilities Act, provides curb-to-curb service for eligible paratransit riders throughout the region, provided that pick-ups and drop-offs are within 3/4 of a mile of any fixed-route public bus route or Metro rail station during the hours systems are operational.

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