Paratransit

Eligibility

To travel on Marin Access Paratransit, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• Be unable to get to and from a bus stop or on and off a lift-equipped bus by yourself
• Have a cognitive disability that prohibits your understanding of how to complete bus trips

As part of the certification process, you must complete an application and provide a licensed professional's statement to verify your disability. All applicants must qualify for certification under the guidelines established by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Call our Travel Navigators at 415-454-0902 to start the application process.

Eligibility determinations can take up to 21 days from the time a complete application is received. If an eligibility determination takes longer than 21 days, you may be given presumptive eligibility that allows you to use the paratransit system until a final decision about your eligibility is made. This does not apply if, through inactions on your part or an incomplete application, we are unable to complete the processing of your application.

Visitors

You do not need to be a resident of Marin County to use Marin Access. If you have been certified to use paratransit in any of the nine Bay Area counties, Marin Access will be able to provide your ride after checking the Regional Eligibility Database and confirming your eligibility.

ADA-eligible visitors from outside the Bay Area may also use Marin Access paratransit service for any combination of 21 days of service during any 365-day period beginning with the visitor’s first use of the service. Visitors do not need to re-certify in Marin during this 21-day period but must be able to show proof of a disability as described below.

• Individuals that other transit agencies have determined to be ADA paratransit eligible can present documentation of eligibility received from these other agencies, whether that be a paratransit ID card or other documentation demonstrating eligibility.
• For individuals without current eligibility from another agency we require further discussion from the rider to make a reasonable determination of whether they are eligible to use paratransit in Marin County. For visitors whose disability is apparent, we do not require additional documentation. For visitors whose disability is not apparent (e.g., cognitive disability or cardiac condition), we do require documentation of disability. Examples of documentation could include a DMV Disabled Placard ID, RTC card, Medicare card, ID card for persons with disabilities from another transit service, a letter from a medical professional or eligibility for other services based on a determination of disability.

Conversely, once you are certified to use ADA paratransit in Marin County, you are also eligible to receive paratransit services in other cities and states. We suggest you contact the transit agency in the city to which you plan to travel prior to your trip. They will give you information about trip scheduling, fares, and operating times.

Reservations

To reserve a ride on Marin Access, call the scheduling number provided in your welcome packet between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. seven days a week.

• Be prepared to give your full name, your origin, your destination, and either the time you need to be picked up OR the time you need to be dropped off. Let the reservationist know if you will need a return trip or if you will have someone accompanying you.
• Riders may call to reserve a trip from 1 to 7 days in advance.
• Cancellations must be made at least two hours prior to your scheduled pick-up time. Riders failing to cancel in advance may have riding privileges suspended. Timely cancellations allow Marin Access to serve more customers.
• If you wish to change your destination, you must call the reservation office at least one day prior to your trip to see if a change can be accommodated.

Fares

*One-way regional paratransit fares are based on a system of zones. The exact fare depends upon the length of the trip and the fare zone (zones 1-7) in which it begins and ends. These zones are the same ones used by Golden Gate Transit for their regional fixed-route transit fares. For a regional zone map and corresponding paratransit fares, click here; the fare table does not include extended fares in San Francisco and Sonoma Counties for trips beyond our service area. If you are traveling to these areas, contact a scheduler for the exact fare. Please be advised that there are annual planned fare increases for regional trips on July 1 of each calendar year through 2023.