Transit services expanded

A transit service now offers Calabasans door-to-door taxi-like services anywhere within Los Angeles County—without an expensive fare for qualified recipients. Access Services Incorporated, a Los Angeles County-sponsored group, provides Access Paratransit services to people who are functionally disabled. The rides are provided by a van or sedan which will collect passengers within three quarters of a mile of any public transit stop in L.A. County.

Access Paratransit services, paid for by L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), has been offered since the 1990s, according to Calabasas Assistant Transportation Planner Tom Gdala. But residents in the Calabasas Village Mobil Estates, off Mulholland Highway, had previously been unable to utilize the services because residents weren’t within .75 of a mile from a public transit stop.

"Now that we’ve expanded the trolley throughout most of the city, Access Services is honoring the trolley route as our fixed route and servicing within three quarters of a mile of that trolley route," Gdala said.

Access Services can provide a ride anywhere in Los Angeles County from a person’s home if he qualifies. Anyone disabled or mentally or physically unable to get to a bus can qualify. Applicants must answer questions regarding their immobility or handicaps.

"Access Services almost covers all of Calabasas except for areas of Parkway Calabasas and that gated community because it’s still so far away from the MTA stop," Gdala said.

Fares are about $1.80 for the first 20 miles and $2.70 for anything over that distance for each one-way trip. Cash, MTA tokens or prepaid coupons are accepted. Nurses and other personal care attendants can travel with qualified riders for free.

The service operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

For more information about the Access transit service, call (800) 827-0829 or log onto the Internet and go to www.asila.org. Applications for the transit program can be downloaded off the Website.

––Michael Picarella