Rider Information

ACCESS Service Providers

AirStar
Phone: (412) 381-7230

Northern Area Multi-Service Center (NAMS)
Phone: (412) 781-6774

p.r.n. Paratransit Service
Phone: (888) 634-8773

S & S Transit
Phone: (412) 829-7627

Safety & Mobility

The safety of all riders and drivers is one of the program’s most important priorities. To ensure safe transportation, the cooperation of ACCESS riders is required:

Portable oxygen, personal respirators or other life support equipment is permitted on board. The equipment must be small enough to fit into the vehicle and be secured.
If you are not able to walk up and down the steps of the van, you can ride up and down standing on the lift. There are handrails on both sides for you to hold on to, and the driver will help you.
If you use a wheelchair or scooter:
- You may choose to board the lift either facing outward or pull on facing the vehicle
- All wheelchairs and scooters will be secured by the driver using a four-point securement system
- Any wheelchair up to 50” long and 32” wide can be accommodated on a vehicle
- The total combined weight of the rider and the wheelchair must not exceed 800 lbs.
- Requests for service from people whose mobility aid exceeds this size or weight are made on a case by case basis (Contact the ACCESS program office for assistance.)
- The driver will secure the seat belt. Use of the shoulder harness is strongly recommended. Ask the driver to adjust the height if it is not comfortable.
- If you use a power wheelchair or scooter, the driver is not able to provide any assistance up or down curbs or steps
- Other than assisting you on and off the lift, the driver will not operate your power wheelchair or scooter

Service Animals

A service animal is a dog or other animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability
Riders and their service animals are welcome on all vehicles
A passenger’s request that the driver takes charge of a service animal may be denied. Caring for a service animal is the responsibility of the passenger or a Personal Care Assistant.
Service animals must be under the control of the owner at all times
Service animals are not permitted on vehicle seats

Out-of-Town Visitors with Disabilities

Any person with a disability visiting the Pittsburgh area is eligible for 21 days of travel using ACCESS service in any 365-day period. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is 100% accessible to people with disabilities. All the buses and light rail vehicles are wheelchair accessible with automated route and stop calling by electronic annunciations or on demand by the vehicle operator.

How to Qualify

Contact the ACCESS program office in advance of visiting the Pittsburgh area to register for traveling. A simple application can be downloaded online or requested by calling (412) 562-5353 or TTY 711, then simply fill out the application and return it by e-mail to ada@accesstransys.com. You will be required to provide proof of out of county residency that shows your current address, ex: copy of utility bill or voter registration. If your disability is not apparent, please send us a copy of your locally issued paratransit ID card or verification of your disability.

Schedule an ACCESS Ride

When you receive the application, an ACCESS ePurse User Guide will be included. Read it over, answer the required questions and return the application and the ePurse Enrollment Form. Everything will be processed at the same time. If you send us your itinerary, we can let you know how much to deposit into the ePurse, and schedule all your travel needs for you. If all your travel needs are not yet established, you can call our office at (412) 562-5353 or TTY 711 and we will assist you in planning and scheduling your trips.

To and From the Pittsburgh International Airport

When scheduling your ACCESS rides to and from the Pittsburgh International Airport you will need to have your flight information readily available. Your pickup at the airport will be scheduled one hour after your flight is due to arrive as long as that is within ACCESS service hours. The ACCESS program office will schedule your trip, and will confirm everything about your trip the day before your arrival.

The Pittsburgh Regional Transit 28X Bus runs to/from Pittsburgh International Airport to various points in the Downtown and Oakland area every half hour starting at 5:30 am until 12:30 am runs to/from Pittsburgh International Airport to various points in the Pittsburgh area every half hour starting at 4:30 am until 12:00 am. For schedules and additional information visit PortAuthority.org

Should you need any additional assistance during your trip to Pittsburgh, please contact the ACCESS program office at (412) 562-5353 or TTY 711.

The Committee for Accessible Transportation

The Committee for Accessible Transportation (CAT) was founded in 1991. CAT members include persons with disabilities, members of their families and representatives of the agencies that serve them.

CAT advises Pittsburgh Regional Transit and the ACCESS program on how to make public transportation accessible to riders with various types of disabilities. The committee meets quarterly.

Title VI Compliance: Notice to the Public

ACCESS Transportation Systems hereby gives public notice of its policy to assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ACCESS program is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its services on the basis of race, color or national origin as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

No person or group of persons shall be discriminated against with regard to the routing, scheduling or quality of ACCESS transportation service on the basis of race, color or national origin. The frequency of service, age, and quality of vehicles assigned to routes, quality of stations serving different routes and location of routes may not be determined on the basis of race, color or national origin.

Any person who believes that they have, individually, or as a member of any specific class of persons, been subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin may file a complaint with the ACCESS program office. A complaint must be filed within 180 days after the date of the alleged discrimination.

Any person who requires additional information concerning this notice or believes that they have been subjected to discrimination and would like to file a complaint should provide written notice to the ACCESS program’s Customer Service Department at either the address or website listed below:

Customer Service Department
ACCESS Transportation Systems
650 Smithfield Street, 4th Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527