PRIA Logo™
119-hr-8128119th CongressWALLET

Same-Day Paratransit Innovation Act

Sponsored By: Representative Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]

In Committee

Summary

This bill would modernize federal support and set minimum tech rules to expand and improve access to same‑day paratransit for people with disabilities. It raises federal capital and operating shares and requires interoperable, secure software so agencies can offer more flexible, on‑demand trips.

Show full summary
  • Riders with disabilities: Aims to reduce next‑day booking barriers and expand same‑day options by funding projects that enable real‑time route optimization, dynamic scheduling, trip transfers, and integrated digital booking.
  • Transit agencies and States: Capital projects tied to same‑day paratransit qualify for 90% of net capital costs. Operating assistance is capped at 50% normally but can rise to 70% for services that meet minimum standards and to 80% when those standards are met and staff are dedicated exclusively to same‑day service. Rural grants mirror these shares and include a special 62.5% formula adjustment for certain States.
  • Software vendors and data owners: The Administrator must publish minimum standards within 1 year covering accessibility (WCAG 2.1+), cybersecurity (SOC 2 and ISO 27001), US cloud storage, open APIs, rider privacy, and data ownership. Funds under major grant programs cannot buy noncompliant third‑party software after phased deadlines and the rule requires stakeholder consultation.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

More federal help for same-day paratransit

This bill would raise federal help for same-day paratransit capital and operating costs. Capital grants for projects directly tied to same-day paratransit would cover 90% of net capital costs. Operating assistance would generally be limited to 50% of net operating costs, but the federal share would be 70% if the project meets new Administrator standards and 80% if it also uses vehicles driven only by the recipient's employees. For rural grants under section 5311, a State described in 23 U.S.C. 120(b) would get 62.5% of the government share described in paragraph (1)(B).

New software standards for paratransit

This bill would require the Administrator to publish minimum standards for ADA paratransit software within one year after enactment. Standards would address accessibility (for example WCAG 2.1), cybersecurity (for example SOC 2 and ISO 27001), U.S.-located cloud storage, multi-provider integration and trip transfers, real-time route optimization and dynamic scheduling, integrated digital booking, open API data sharing while protecting rider PII, and recipient data ownership. The Administrator would have to consult transit agencies, riders with disabilities, disability groups, labor, the U.S. Access Board, tech providers, for-hire providers, and cybersecurity experts. Beginning one year after the standards are published, 5307 and 5310 federal funds could not buy third-party paratransit software that fails to meet the standards; for 5311 funds the same prohibition would begin two years after publication.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 6/2/2026

  • Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 6/2/2026

  • Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 8/27/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation