On July 26, 2021, OCTA and the rest of the country marked the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public, to assure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
Every day, OCTA honors this landmark ruling by complying with the law and offering OC ACCESS, a shared ride paratransit service for people who cannot use the fixed-route bus service due to a physical or cognitive limitation. OC ACCESS provides more than 350,000 trips annually. For more information about OC ACCESS or to learn more about the eligibility process, please click here.
To connect residents with the skills and resources needed to gain better mobility and independence, OCTA offers the Transit Training Program. The free program teaches people with disabilities, seniors and others to travel safely and independently on fixed-route public transportation in their community.
In addition, OCTA’s Special Needs Advisory Committee, which recently changed its name to the Accessible Transit Advisory Committee, advises OCTA about issues related to OCTA fixed-route transit and paratransit services for customers with special transportation needs. Composed of citizens, this committee originally formed in 1992 in response to the ADA.
OCTA is committed to providing equitable transportation for all throughout Orange County. Learn here how OCTA embeds diversity, equity and inclusion into everything it does to provide reliable, accessible and balanced transportation choices for everyone in Orange County.