Meghann Ackerman Talks About The Ride offered by the MBTA.
Meghann Ackerman is Deputy Director of Communications for The Ride – a service offered by the MBTA. This series explores different topics related to finding the right supportive housing for your loved one with intellectual or developmental disabilities. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is The Ride?
The Ride is a mode of public transportation. It’s part of the MBTA, and it’s what’s known as paratransit, which is a form of public transportation for people whose disability prevents them from being able to use the subway or buses independently.
The ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, mandated that, all transportation authorities like the MBTA have a paratransit service. We’re proud to say that The Ride actually started prior to that in 1977.
Who is eligible to use The Ride?
The Ride is for anyone whose disability prevents them from using the subway or bus, and that can be any type of disability. It can be a physical disability; something related to mobility. It can also be a cognitive disability, or a mental health disability. If someone has a disability that is making it difficult for them to use the bus and trolleys, The Ride might be right for them.
There’s an eligibility process that customers go through at our Mobility Center. That process looks a little bit different for everyone based on the disability that they’re reporting, but it might include, an assessment of their physical skills to be able to do things like walk to a bus stop or step up onto a bus. It may also include some evaluation around other skills you might need to use to take public transit, like remembering multi-step directions or being able to navigate after you’re given directions. We may also request some information from a medical provider, if that makes sense based on the disability.
Once people go through the eligibility process, there are three possible determinations they can get. One is that they’re not eligible; it’s been determined that they’re able to take public transit independently. Another is conditional, which means that it’s been determined they can use other forms of public transportation sometimes, but there are some trips where they may need to take The Ride. And what that looks like can vary by disability but, for example, if someone is only able to walk four blocks, they might be able to use the ride if they would need to walk more than four blocks to get to the bus stop or the train station, but trips where they don’t have to walk that far, they would take on other forms of public transportation.
If folks are found either not eligible or conditional, they do have the right to appeal and go through the process and provide any additional information that might affect that decision. Finally, someone might be found unconditionally eligible, meaning they can take The Ride for any and all trips that they would like.
Regardless of whether someone is conditional or unconditional, they are more than welcome to take the subway and bus if it is accessible to them for certain trips. Or if they are traveling with a family member or a friend that makes it more accessible to them, that will not affect their use of The Ride.
How does someone schedule The Ride?
Once someone gets their eligibility, we have an account set up for them, they get an ID number, and the first thing that they’re going to want to do is add funds to their account. The way The Ride works is you put money in your account and the fare is deducted. This can be done online or on our app. There’s also a phone number they can call and use a credit or debit card. People can also mail in checks or money orders or visit the Charlie Service Center if they’d like to pay in cash or do an in-person transaction. Once there are funds in your account, you can start scheduling trips. You can call The Ride Access Center and speak to a reservationist to schedule your trip. You can also book it yourself on our app or website. Trips are booked one to five days in advance, which is important to keep in mind. The app and website are available around the clock, but you must book your trip by 5 p.m. for the next day. If you’re booking a few days out, you can book at any time. Customers can bring guests or a personal care attendant (PCA) with them. PCAs are not charged a fare, so if you might need some extra support on your trip, that’s an option as well.
What supports do you offer customers who need them?
The Ride provides door-to-door service, which means your driver will pull up at your pickup location, park the vehicle, get out, come up to your door and meet you, and walk with you to the vehicle. They can offer an arm for support if you need to hold on to someone. They can also help you carry a small number of personal items if they can do it with one hand, and it weighs less than 15 pounds, so that way they still have that arm free to assist you if you need it. They’ll walk you to the vehicle. If it’s one of our vans with a mechanical lift, they’ll lower that if you would like to use it and help you get up into the vehicle. Once you’re in the vehicle, they can assist, with seat belts or strapping in your wheelchair making sure that’s secure.
For more information, you can call 617-431-5400 or email us at: contact@mainstayliving.org
