At a recent meeting of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL), Legislator David Tubiolo (Yonkers & Mt. Vernon), Chair of the Committee on Seniors & Constituencies, successfully led his colleagues to vote in favor of purchasing 25 new vehicles to support the County’s Para-Transit program.

Para-Transit is a public transportation system, which provides service for those who are unable to utilize the regular fixed bus service or drive a personal vehicle. Para-Transit is designed for persons with disabilities and/or our senior residents, as these groups experience limitations that make it difficult or impossible to carry out day-to-day activities without extra accommodation.

Westchester County Para-Transit is governed under the supervision of The Office for People with Disabilities and the Department of Public Works & Transportation.

The current Para-Transit fleet contains approximately 100 vehicles. However, over time and frequent utilization, these vehicles slowly deteriorate and require replacement.

Our Para-Transit fleet makes approximately 1,000 to 1,500 trips per day, transporting over 6,500 riders. Over 40% of all Para-Transit rides are seniors. The number of Para-Transit trips have increased by 6% in 2016, in fact, there were 295,000 trips and it is projected that there will be 312,000 trips by the end of 2017.

Legislator David Tubiolo, as a member of the Infrastructure Committee, strongly advocated for the passing of the Bond Act during the meeting. “We’re replacing 25 vehicles with more fuel efficient and cost-effective vehicles,” said Tubiolo.  “This will help prolong the life of the vehicles so that we can continue to provide this great service to our county residents with fixed prices of $5 per ride, giving curb-to-curb service,” Tubiolo continued.

It is anticipated that the new vehicles will be ordered within 90 days after receipt of the bonding authorization. The Department of Public Works & Transportation also anticipates the purchasing of ten hybrid Prius vehicles and fifteen Ford passenger vans.

Reservations are required in order to use the service and can only be made for those who have been pre-approved to use the service. The form can be obtained on the Westchester County Government website.