Effective May 2003, Blair Senior Services, Inc. and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation implemented the Rural Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Program (PwD) in Blair County.  This program enables persons with disabilities to travel at reduced fares.  

Through the PwD Program, persons access the Agency’s shared-ride transportation system at a per-trip cost of $2.70.  Shared-ride service involves advanced reservations and requires passengers to share the vehicle with others traveling in the same direction at the same time.  

 Blair Senior Services, Inc. offers this service throughout Blair County, Monday through Friday, with varying service times in each rural area.  This service is open to the general public at full fare. 

Agency drivers offer door-to-door assistance to all passengers. Blair Senior Services’ vehicles are lift-equipped and can safely accommodate and secure an individual who uses any standard mobility device. Escorts are permitted to accompany passengers with advance reservations, at a reduced rate. 

Who Can Use the PwD Program?

The eligibility requirements for the PwD Program are as follows:

1. A person must have a documented disability* as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),

2. Be under 65 years of age,

3. Live in a county participating in the program, and need transportation to or from an area not currently served by AMTRAN, and

4. Based on trip purpose, no other funding source is or has been responsible for trip sponsorship. 

*A “disability” is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with respect to an individual as, a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such an individual; a record of such impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment. 

Other qualifying information for the PwD Program 

• Both the origin and destination of the trip must be inside Blair County, and

• Either or both the origin or destination of the trip must be outside the AMTAN service area.

Applications are available through the Transportation Department of Blair Senior Service. Inc, or online (PwD Application). Alternate format applications are also available upon request. Once your application is received, you will be notified of certification or denial of services, usually within one week from the date of submission.

Once certified for the PwD Program, scheduling reservations is done by calling the Transportation Office, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, at 695-3500 or (800) 458-5552. All reservations should be received, at a minimum, one weekday in advance by 3:00 p.m.  If for any reason you need to cancel a reservation, please inform the Transportation Office immediately.

Link to Rural Schedule

The PwD Program is administered by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The one-way cost for each trip is $2.70, and payment is due at the time of transportation. 

The PwD Program is a “payer of last resort,” which means that, if funding for your transportation is available through any other means, that funding source must be utilized.

The PwD Program is designed as a rural transportation program.  The PwD Program will not fund trips where the trip origin AND destination are within AMTRAN’s service area.  Therefore, when utilizing The PwD Program in the AMTRAN service area, and you wish to travel within that area, there are some thing you need to know:

The AMTRAN service area encompasses the City of Altoona, the boroughs of Hollidaysburg and Duncansville, most of Logan Township (including the area around the Logan Valley Mall), and parts of Allegheny Township.

There are two ways to ride AMTRAN.  The first is on the regular buses.  You can ride those buses for $.60 a trip if you have a Reduced Fare ID card, or for $1.35 regular fare.  Buses follow regular routes and regular daily schedules.  The buses are all accessible to wheelchairs and other mobility devices. 

AMTRAN also has Complementary Paratransit Service that utilizes Blair Senior Services’ vehicles.  If you are qualified for this service, you must make advanced reservations similar to the PwD Program service.  The one-way fare is $2.70.