37.171  Equivalency requirement for demand responsive service operated by private entities not primarily engaged in the business of transporting people.


A private entity not primarily engaged in the business of transporting people which operates a demand responsive system shall ensure that its system, when viewed in its entirety, provides equivalent service to individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, as it does to individuals without disabilities.  The standards of 37.105 shall be used to determine if the entity is providing equivalent service.
This provision is a service requirement closely related to the private entity requirements for §§37.101 - 37.105 of this Part.  Entities in this category are always required to provide equivalent service, regardless of what they are doing with respect to the acquisition of vehicles.  The effect of this provision may be to require some entities to arrange, either through acquiring their own accessible vehicles or coordinating with other providers, to have accessible vehicles available to meet the equivalency standards of §37.105 or otherwise to comply with those standards.