Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria for paratransit service are defined by the Paratransit Eligibility Policy from the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) and the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO).

According to this policy, any person who meets the following two requirements is eligible for paratransit service:

1. Be a disabled person, i.e., have a significant and persistent impairment;
2. In terms of mobility, have difficulties that justify the use of paratransit, such as:

• Be unable to walk 400 metres or more;
• Be unable to step up or down a step 35 centimetres high;
• Be unable to keep track of time or find one’s bearings;
• Be unable to master situations or behaviour that could compromise one's own safety or that of others.

In addition, the person must also meet the following two requirements:

1. Be a permanent resident in the area covered by Gatineau, Cantley or Chelsea;
2. Be approved by the eligibility committee, which meets monthly and includes representatives for the STO, people with disabilities and the Agence de santé et services sociaux de l'Outaouais.

If you wish to submit a paratransit eligibility application, you must:

1. Complete the General Information part of the Eligibility application form. 
2. Have a professional from the Réseau de la Santé et des Services Sociaux complete the diagnosis form for your impairment:
• Diagnosis of Motor or Organic Impairment: This form can be completed by a family doctor or specialist such as a cardiologist, pneumologist or neurologist.
• Diagnosis of Intellectual Impairment: This form can be completed by a family doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist.
• Diagnosis of Visual Impairment: This form can be completed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
• Diagnosis of Psychological Impairment: This form can be completed by a family doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist.
3. Have a professional from the Réseau de la Santé et des Services Sociaux complete the assessment form for your impairment (unless it is obvious that the applicant always uses a wheelchair): 
• Functional Assessment of a Person with a Motor or Organic Impairment: This form can be completed by an occupational therapist, physiotherapist or rehabilitation therapist.
• Functional Assessment of a Person with an Intellectual Impairment: This form can be completed by an educator or social worker.
• Functional Assessment of a Person with a Visual Impairment: This form can be completed by a mobility instructor.
• Functional Assessment of a Person with a Psychological Impairment: This form can be completed by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
4. Send all the completed forms to:

              Paratransit Service
              Société de transport de l’Outaouais
              111 Jean-Proulx
              Gatineau, Quebec J8Z 1T4

The forms certifying an impairment must be fully completed by the professionals from the Réseau de la Santé et des Services Sociaux so that the eligibility committee can render a decision. These forms must contain enough information to answer the following questions:

• Is the impairment significant and persistent?
• Is the impairment severe enough with respect to mobility to justify the use of paratransit service?
• Would the person be capable of using the regular public transit service after a rehabilitation period or after taking a training or familiarization program?

After reviewing your application, the eligibility committee will inform you of the decision in a letter sent by mail. The eligible person will then receive all the relevant information to properly understand how the paratransit service operates, and the rights and responsibilities of everyone involved.

The committee’s decision can be reconsidered if justified by new facts.
An applicant who does not agree with the eligibility committee’s decision can write to the Bureau de révision of the Quebec Ministry of Transport at the address below within 40 days of the committee's decision to request that the decision be reassessed: 

              Bureau de révision
              Direction du transport terrestre des personnes
              Ministère des Transports du Québec
              700 René-Lévesque Boulevard East, Floor 25
              Quebec City, Quebec  G1R 5H1