H.R. 8128

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8128 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8128

To foster greater deployment of same-day paratransit services for 
individuals with disabilities and to establish minimum standards for 
paratransit technology, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 26, 2026

Ms. Simon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To foster greater deployment of same-day paratransit services for 
individuals with disabilities and to establish minimum standards for 
paratransit technology, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Same-Day Paratransit Innovation 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Mobility access is a fundamental pillar of 
independence, equity, and dignity for individuals with 
disabilities, enabling access to daily necessities and the 
opportunity to participate in a well-rounded, connected life 
that would otherwise be out of reach.
(2) According to the Department of Transportation Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics (BTS), an estimated 18,600,000 
Americans have travel-limiting disabilities that could 
necessitate reliance on paratransit services to access 
employment, education, healthcare, and community life, yet they 
face significant and ongoing barriers to achieve mobility, 
equity, and inclusion.
(3) Over 80 percent of the young adults with disabilities 
surveyed by the National Aging and Disability Transportation 
Center (NADTC) stated that they're often held back from 
activities because of lack of transportation or inability to 
drive, resulting in them feeling isolated, frustrated, and even 
trapped without reliable same-day transit, with access barriers 
compounded by income level, vehicle ownership, and strict or 
outdated eligibility and scheduling policies.
(4) The Census Bureau projects that almost 1 in 4 Americans 
will be aged 65 or older and the number of people over age 85 
will triple by 2060, thereby increasing already constrained 
paratransit demand.
(5) The transportation provisions of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) only require that complementary 
paratransit be operated on a next-day basis, requiring riders 
with disabilities to know and schedule all trips at least 24 
hours in advance and leaving no flexibility to adjust to last 
minute or day-of changes in plans.
(6) The lack of flexible, same-day transportation options 
hinders the lives and opportunities of persons with 
disabilities, negatively impacting their independence and 
participation in civic life and contributing to the 10 percent 
unemployment rate among working-age Americans with disabilities 
in July 2025, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(7) Technological advancements and product offerings now 
allow transit agencies to schedule and provide same-day 
paratransit services through dynamic trip matching, real-time 
route optimization, and the integration of multiple service 
providers through API or related mechanisms, all accessible 
through user-friendly mobile applications.
(8) In 2023, the Federal Transit Administration published a 
Dear Colleague letter to the transit industry extolling the 
benefits and opportunities for deploying same-day paratransit 
using existing formula funding.
(9) Whereas, same-day paratransit has been proven to 
improve transit agency cost and service efficiencies, 
highlighted by MBTA's RIDE Flex program, which saw total trips 
increase by 53 percent and operational spend decrease by 6 
percent over 3 years with the integration of a same-day 
service, per the Federal Transit Administration's Transit 
Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).
(10) Congress recognizes the urgent need to modernize and 
expand same-day paratransit options through formula funding to 
incentivize transit agencies to provide same-day paratransit 
services that foster innovation and empower individuals with 
disabilities to choose the mobility solution that best fits 
their needs.

SEC. 3. ACCESSIBILITY INNOVATION SAME-DAY PARATRANSIT.

(a) In General.--Section 5310(d) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``except that a grant 
for a capital project directly related to the provision of 
same-day paratransit services shall be in an amount equal to 90 
percent of the net capital costs of the project, as determined 
by the Secretary.'' after ``Secretary''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) Operating assistance.--A grant made under this 
section for operating assistance may not exceed an amount equal 
to--
``(A) 50 percent of the net operating costs of the 
project, as determined by the Secretary;
``(B) 70 percent of the net operating costs of a 
project to provide same-day paratransit service in 
compliance with the minimum standards established by 
the Administrator; or
``(C) 80 percent of the net operating costs of a 
project to provide same-day paratransit service in 
compliance with the minimum standards established by 
the Administrator and using vehicles operated 
exclusively by personnel employed by the recipient for 
same-day paratransit service.''.
(b) Urbanized Area Formula Grants.--Section 5307(d) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, except that a grant 
for a capital project directly related to the provision of 
same-day paratransit services shall be in an amount equal to 90 
percent of the net capital costs of the project, as determined 
by the Secretary.'' after ``the project''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (2), to read as follows:
``(2) Operating assistance.--A grant made under this 
section for operating assistance may not exceed an amount equal 
to--
``(A) 50 percent of the net operating costs of the 
project, as determined by the Secretary; or
``(B) 70 percent of the net operating costs of a 
project to provide same-day paratransit service in 
compliance with the minimum standards established by 
the Administrator; or
``(C) 80 percent of the net operating costs of a 
project to provide same-day paratransit service in 
compliance with the minimum standards established by 
the Administrator and using vehicles operated 
exclusively by personnel employed by the recipient for 
same-day paratransit service.''.
(c) Formula Grants for Rural Areas.--Section 5311(g) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``, except that a 
grant for a capital project directly related to the provision 
of same-day paratransit services shall be in an amount equal to 
90 percent of the net capital costs of the project, as 
determined by the Secretary.'' after ``Secretary''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (2), to read as follows:
``(2) Operating assistance.--
``(A) A grant made under this section for operating 
assistance may not exceed an amount equal to--
``(i) 50 percent of the net operating costs 
of the project, as determined by the Secretary;
``(ii) 70 percent of the net operating 
costs of a project to provide same-day 
paratransit service in compliance with the 
minimum standards established by the 
Administrator; or
``(iii) 80 percent of the net operating 
costs of a project to provide same-day 
paratransit service in compliance with the 
minimum standards established by the 
administrator, as determined by the secretary 
and using vehicles operated exclusively by 
personnel employed by the recipient for same-
day paratransit service.
``(B) Exception.--A State described in section 
120(b) of title 23 shall receive a Government share of 
the net operating costs equal to 62.5 percent of the 
Government share provided for under paragraph 
(1)(B).''.

SEC. 4. PARATRANSIT SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY MINIMUM STANDARDS.

(a) In General.--Section 5310 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end--
``(j) Paratransit Software Minimum Standards.--
``(1) In general.--No later than 1 year after enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall issue minimum standards for 
Americans with Disabilities (ADA) paratransit software and 
technologies procured pursuant to this section.
``(2) Standards.--The Administrator shall consider the 
following in developing the guidance described in the 
subsection (a):
``(A) Accessibility of applications including 
compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 
2.1 (WCAG 2.1) or any subsequent version of such 
Guidelines.
``(B) Cybersecurity of applications including 
compliance with System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 
2) and ISO 27001, and any successor standard.
``(C) Data storage on cloud infrastructure located 
in the United States.
``(D) Integration of multiple service providers--
including but not limited to paratransit operated by a 
transit agency or contractor, taxis, and transportation 
networking companies (TNC)--through API or related 
mechanisms, and the ability to move trips between 
service providers.
``(E) Real-time route optimization and dynamic trip 
scheduling, with the ability to utilize some of the 
extra capacity on ADA paratransit fleet to provide 
same-day paratransit service.
``(F) Ability to book on digital booking interfaces 
that can integrate all service providers.
``(G) Data sharing and agency portal systems, 
including an open API to enable integration to third 
party systems while protecting personally identifiable 
information of riders and capable, if approved by the 
recipient, of providing the recipient with the ability 
to share data with their metropolitan planning 
organization, State, and local government access to 
anonymized data for transportation planning, real time 
operations data, and rules.
``(H) Safeguards necessary to ensure that all data 
generated by the provision of service or paid for by 
the recipient is owned by the recipient and cannot be 
withheld or limited, nor may the provider condition 
access to such data, in any manner.
``(I) Such other considerations as the 
Administrator determines necessary to advance the needs 
of riders, transit agencies and providers, and that 
ensure that investments are future-proofed to 
accommodate emerging technological and operational 
developments.
``(3) Stakeholder consultation.--In developing the minimum 
standards described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 
consult with relevant stakeholders including--
``(A) transit agencies and transit industry 
associations;
``(B) paratransit riders with disabilities;
``(C) organizations representing riders with 
disabilities;
``(D) United States Access Board;
``(E) labor organizations representing frontline 
public transportation workers;
``(F) transit technology providers;
``(G) for-hire transportation providers; and
``(H) cybersecurity experts.
``(4) Limitation.--Beginning not later than 1 year after 
final minimum standards are published by the Administrator, no 
funds awarded under section 5307 or 5310 shall be used to 
acquire or utilize third-party software for the provision of 
paratransit services that does not meet the minimum standards 
established under paragraph (1).
``(5) Final standards.--Beginning not later than 2 years 
after final minimum standards are published by the 
Administrator, no funds awarded under section 5311 shall be 
used to acquire or utilize third-party software for the 
provision of paratransit services that does not meet the 
minimum standards established under paragraph (1).''.
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