Funding sources for paratransit are changing in the Valley, limiting Gilbert’s ability to provide public transportation for the disabled community, town officials said. 

Direct-response transportation services, which pick up and drop off disabled riders at their chosen locations, will no longer receive state funding under Proposition 479, said Jason Hafner, transportation planning manager for the town of Gilbert. 

Mary Catherine Derin relies on direct-response services to attend all of her medical appointments. Derin lost her vision in her 40s, and in 2017 she was declared legally blind and unable to drive. 

“I felt so bad for my husband, who had to drive me to my OB-GYN and sit with a bunch of pregnant ladies while I got my yearly Pap smear,” Derin said. “No man should have to do that!” 

Paratransit is a lifeline for people with disabilities, giving them some independence, Derin said. It also provides a way to get out of their homes and socialize. 

“Paratransit is the only thing that keeps me from feeling like a burden to my friends and family,” she said. “Without paratransit, I would need someone to drive me absolutely everywhere.” 

Derin lives in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and was outraged to hear about the upcoming changes to paratransit in Gilbert. 

“Gilbert is basically failing a whole portion of their community,” Derin said. “When you do stuff like this, you are telling a whole group of people that you just don’t care about them.” 

The new law only funds direct-response transportation within three-quarters of a mile of the existing fixed bus route system. Anyone who does not live that close to a bus stop cannot access paratransit services. 

Previously, under Proposition 400, the town could determine where transportation funds were allocated and could provide full town coverage for paratransit services. 

“They're not going to help anybody in need who is not within three-quarters of a mile of a current bus stop,” Gilbert Councilmember Jim Torgeson said. 

In response to the newly limited coverage, Gilbert Town Council has decided to use all remaining funds from the previous state tax to expand direct-response services as much as possible before Proposition 479 takes effect. 

“We're looking at the new funding, and we're wondering, how is this helping?” Torgeson said. “It doesn't make sense.” 

The Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional planning agency that placed the proposition on the ballot in November 2024, declined to comment for this article. 

Proposition 479 was approved by the MAG Regional Council, the state Legislature and Maricopa County voters. 

In a press release about the new transportation tax, then-MAG Chair and Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said the tax will generate more than $30 billion in net new income for the Greater Phoenix region and add hundreds of highway miles in the Valley. 

The new Proposition 479 policies also provide greater funding for expanding fixed-route systems, which could benefit the town, Gilbert Councilmember Yung Koprowski said.  

That expansion could include new routes, more frequent bus stops or extended hours of operation. 

But all of these increased benefits for the greater Phoenix area do nothing to serve the disabled community, Torgeson said. 

“Paratransit is nonnegotiable,” said Paul Allen, a paratransit driver in Spokane. “Reducing or eliminating it would be devastating for people who just want to live their lives.” 

Allen has been driving for Spokane paratransit for less than a year, but he was a nonemergency medical transit driver for nearly 15 years.  

Private companies like Medstar Medical Transport in Mesa will have to fill the gap for people with disabilities who need transportation to medical appointments. 

But they do not cover other outings. 

Allen said he recently drove two women in their 70s to Krispy Kreme for a birthday party. They would not be able to use Medstar for that trip. 

“All of my passengers with disabilities are just people like you and me who want to do things,” Allen said. “Just because disabled people are sometimes in the shadows doesn’t mean they deserve anything less.” 

Although most fixed-route bus systems try to accommodate disabilities, like the one in Gilbert, many paratransit users are still unable to use public buses because of the nature of their conditions, Allen said. 

Educating citizens on what transportation services their health care insurance will cover could also help mitigate the loss of paratransit coverage, Gilbert Councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni said. 

“When the transition has to occur, there’ll be significant outreach to the individuals impacted,” Hafner said. “We will work with Valley Metro internal staff and make sure that we are coming up with the best solution for that transition.” 

Gilbert is a unique town for public transportation funding because it has no dedicated source to pay for it, Hafner said. That means it has no money to pull from to adjust for changes in coverage like the transition from Proposition 400 to Proposition 479. 

This issue will continue to develop as the town of Gilbert forms a response to the change in transportation coverage. 

“We are still in the research phase, analyzing how many riders and areas will be impacted,” Hafner said. “After gathering all the necessary data, we will discuss options with the council to find long-term solutions.” 

Cassie Kresin is a journalism student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.