Paratransit Services

Transportation Legislation Review Committee. Beginning on January 1, 2026, the bill imposes the following duties on any political subdivision of the state, public entity, or nonprofit corporation that provides paratransit services in the state, in addition to those duties otherwise provided by law:

• To establish, in coordination with local public entities providing emergency services, a plan to communicate information and provide paratransit services during emergencies;
• To ensure that fare collection technology for paratransit services is comparable to that offered for regular or fixed route services; and
• Before reducing the service area for paratransit services, to consult with affected community members and conduct an impact analysis.

The bill also creates the paratransit task force (task force) in the department of transportation. The purpose of the task force is to study and make recommendations regarding the standardization of and best practices for paratransit services in the state. The task force consists of 16 members as follows:

• 3 legislative members, jointly appointed by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives, with 2 members of the majority party and one member of the minority party;
• 4 members representing disability advocacy organizations, with one member appointed by and from each of the following organizations:
• Atlantis Community, Inc.;
• American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today;
• The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition; and
• The National Federation of the Blind;
• 5 members representing transit organizations, with one member appointed by and from each of the following organizations:
• The department of transportation;
• The Colorado Association of Transit Agencies;
• The regional transportation district;
• AARP; and
• The Denver regional council of governments;
• One member representing a private company that partners with a transit agency to provide paratransit services, appointed by the governor;
• One member representing the Colorado disability opportunity office, appointed by the governor;
• One member determined by the governor to enhance and expand the expertise of the task force, appointed by the governor; and
• The lieutenant governor or the lieutenant governor's designee.

The task force is required to meet at least 3 times in 2025 to study and make recommendations on the standardization of and best practices for paratransit services in the state. On or before October 15, 2025, the task force must submit a report to the transportation legislation review committee that includes a summary of the work accomplished by the task force and any recommendations to the general assembly concerning matters studied by the task force. The department of transportation must include a summary of the report and the recommendations of the task force in its annual presentation to the general assembly in January 2026.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)