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By Jason A. Vrtis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 18, 1996
After struggling with proper funding and scheduling while running the daytime disability cart service for the past three years, the Associated Students have decided to transfer the program to Parking and Transportation Services.Parking and Transportation took over the program Aug. 20, according to a Parking and Transportation news release.
The department was chosen to take over the service because it was best able to meet te guidelines for enhancement of the service set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Larry Barton, associate director of Parking and Transportation.
The act put guidelines on the service, such as extensive training for drivers and having the appropriate equipment and facilities to allow the service to function properly, Barton said.
The free cart service is provided to all University of Arizona faculty, staff, students and public participants in UA programs who have a temporary or permanent impairment that creates a need for special transportation services, Barton said.
The service is available in areas of the campus not served by the Cat Tran Shuttle or the wheelchair-accessible free campus shuttle, Barton said. The service operates from 7:30 a.m to 6 p.m.
Barton said ASUA did a great job running the service with limited funding and resources. He said Parking and Transportation will run it following the same pattern started by the students.
"We have the ability to offset some of the costs of the service because we are an auxiliary and we raise our own funds," Barton said.
ASUA has been allocated $25,000 annually for the cart service from the Vice President of Student Affairs Office, said Tim Walker, director of ASUA Escort Services. ASUA decided to give $20,000 to Parking and Transportation and keep $5,000 for the improvement of its nighttime disability service, he said.
Barton said that since the transfer of operations happened just three days before the beginning of the current semester, Parking and Transportation did not allocate funding from this year's budget for the service and the $20,000 from ASUA will be spent on salaries and training for their employees.
He said the service has three golf carts that can each accommodate a driver and three passengers. In addition, there is another cart that is wheelchair accessible.
Parking and Transportation has about 35 people that it regularly provides regular service to, Barton said.
"The most we have accommodated in one day is 15 people," he said. "That doesn't sound like much, but the average person that uses the service needs assistance at least two times a day."
The demand for the service has leveled off because of the large number of disabled parking spots created by Parking and Transportation over the last few years, Barton said.
A Parking and Transportation spokeswoman said there are 262 disabled parking spots on campus.
Barton also estimated Parking and Transportation will spend approximately $45,000 on the service this year, which includes the $20,000 from ASUA.
To qualify for service, prospective riders must complete an application which includes a statement from their certified health care provider.
Barton said applications are available at Parking and Transportation Services' offices in the University Services Building, at Campus Health Services and at the Center for Disability Related Resources.
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