Expanding late-night on-demand wheelchair-accessible transportation
Wheelchair users should be able to participate in evening dining, performances, nightlife, community meetings, and other ordinary activities without facing an early transportation curfew.
Through California’s Access for All program, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) administers funding for local on-demand wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) service. The existing locally funded service currently ends at 7:00 PM on weekdays and 4:00 PM on weekends—leaving a substantial gap during evening and nightlife hours.
ACT is exploring focused advocacy to strengthen the local Access for All program. Potential reforms include dependable late-night weekend coverage, enforceable service standards, and transparent reporting on ride requests, completed and unfulfilled trips, response times, and rider complaints.
Current stage: Documenting the service-hours gap, gathering rider experiences, reviewing the local funding and contract structure, and identifying practical reforms.
We’re looking for
- Wheelchair users willing to share experiences with evening transportation
- People who have attempted to use local on-demand WAV services
- Disability and transportation-access advocates
- Evening-event, hospitality, restaurant, and nightlife representatives
- Transportation policy, contracting, and public-funding expertise
- Help with public records, data analysis, rider surveys, and storytelling
- Community partners willing to support expanded evening service
Call to action: Help make evening mobility available to everyone →
Stage: Exploring
Help Expand Evening On Demand Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Service