TriMet will eliminate 'Hand-to-Hand' paratransit service for half of its users

Portland's TriMet transit agency announced it will cut close to half of current riders from its "Hand-to-Hand" paratransit program, an extension of paratransit in which drivers escort paratransit riders to their destination and connects them with another adult.

According to an article by Tarek Anthony in The Oregonian, the program is part of the federally mandated LIFT program, which requires that transit agencies provide a transportation option for disabled residents. In Portland, 12,000 passengers are registered for the LIFT program, and 650 of them receive the Hand-to-Hand service. 

According to a Trimet spokesperson, Hand-to-Hand service goes "above and beyond" ADA requirements. "The roughly 300 riders who will lose the service will remain eligible for LIFT but will no longer have access to Hand-to-Hand assistance, the agency said. To receive that higher level of service, they will need to coordinate through their counties’ disability programs."

TriMet estimates the program costs it about $2.5 million per year in service hours. A spokesperson said the money saved will be directed toward other LIFT services and not other TriMet service.