UC Davis has reorganized its Mobility Assistance Program, and will now offer the service to faculty and staff in addition to students, expanding the service to provide convenient transportation to individuals with mobility impairments to destinations across campus.

Starting Sept. 20, a one-year pilot Mobility Assistance Shuttle is being offered to UC Davis students, staff, and faculty with documented disabilities (temporary or permanent). This program will offer shuttle service to specified stops within the UC Davis campus core for a weekly fee.

The UC Davis has long had a shuttle service for students with mobility disabilities. The service has been managed by the Student Disability Center, and supported by student registration fees. A small fleet of motorized vehicles (similar to golf carts) have been available to university students who had injuries or impairments that made trips across the expansive UC Davis campus a challenge.

“The Mobility Assistance Program has been critical in helping disabled students and students with disabilities stay in school and, in some cases, even improve their grades,” said Wendi Delmendo, compliance director for UC Davis. “By expanding our service to assist faculty and staff, we hope to empower employees with mobility injuries or disabilities, facilitate career success, reduce absenteeism by injured employees, and assure access for all campus constituencies.”

How it works

The new comprehensive service, renamed Mobility Assistance Shuttle (MAS), is a collaboration between the Student Disability Center, the Department of Campus Recreation, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), and the ADA Special Access Funding Committee. The new MAS service will now expand to serve mobility-challenged faculty and staff with documented mobility impairments or disabilities, offering convenient pick-up and drop-offs at more than 40 locations across campus.

The Mobility Assistance Shuttle will be managed by Campus Recreation, and is available in three price categories: Students, TAPS Customers (parking pass holders, goClub members), or Non-TAPS customers. Students will pay $20 per week for the first week of service; $18 per week for weeks 2-6, and $15 per week for weeks 7 and beyond. TAPS Customers will pay $30 per week for the first week of service; $27 per week for weeks 2-6 of service; and $22.50 per week for week seven and beyond. Non-TAPS Customers will pay $40 per week for the first week of service; $36 per week for weeks 2-6 of service; and $30 per week for week seven and beyond. Students pay a lower fee because this program is largely funded by registration fees. TAPS customers pay a lower fee because TAPS is contributing funds to support the pilot program.

Schedule

The Mobility Assistance Shuttle will operate 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday during the academic year; 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during the summer; and 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during finals weekend of each quarter.

For more information, students should contact the Student Disability Center at (530) 752-3184 to have their medical documentation reviewed. Faculty and staff should contact the Disability Management Services office at (530) 752-6019. Once medical documentation is reviewed and eligibility determined, people can contact Campus Recreation at (530) 752-1730 to schedule rides. All rides are on-campus to specified locations, and must be for academic or work-related purposes only. Rides must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance, and are on a first-come-first-served basis. Monday rides must be scheduled by noon on the Friday prior.