Town to Test Expanding HART Paratransit Service

The Town of Huntington will test an expansion of its HART paratransit bus service to three health care stops along the Smithtown side of Commack Road in Commack.

Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the trial will run through Feb.19 to study whether service can be expanded to help Huntington residents headed to:

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 650 Commack Road, Commack
  • St. Catherine & St. Charles Health & Wellness Center, 500 Commack Road, Commack
  • Stony Brook Advanced Specialty Care, 500 Commack Rd Suite 104, Commack

Lupinacci and Councilwoman Joan Cergol said the  limited-time trial will help the Town’s Department of Transportation and Traffic Safety assess whether the  offering has the potential to grow and  impact current riders.

Lupinacci noted the trial program would complement existing accessible transportation services provided by Suffolk County: “While Town of Huntington residents already have the option of using the Suffolk County Accessible Transportation (SCAT) Service to travel to these facilities, we are happy to provide this trial HART Paratransit service to determine whether HART presents a more convenient option for riders. If we can provide this service without negatively impacting current HART Paratransit services, we will continue to do so.”

 Cergol said, “Recently, I met with the Town’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities and learned that the HART Paratransit Service, which provides important transportation to get the elderly and persons with disabilities to doctor’s appointments, would not take clients to these three medical facilities because they were on the Smithtown side of Commack Road. It seemed like a small accommodation to ask HART to extend its reach. I hope that this will make it easier for our disabled and elderly residents to see their doctors and receive their needed treatments.”

Enrollment is required to request the trial HART Paratransit service to the three health care facilities on the three facilities. A HART Paratransit Program Enrollment Application can be found on the Town website.

The signed application may be submitted by mail to: HART Paratransit Program, 144 East Second Street, Huntington Station, NY 11746-1431 or in person at HART’s offices from Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Once enrollment in the HART Paratransit Program is approved, reservations may be made by calling (631) 427-8287 [TDD: 1 (800) 662-1220] Monday through Saturday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

HART operates a special paratransit program that provides basic mobility within the Town of Huntington for persons who are prevented by disability from using HART’s regularly scheduled, fixed-route transit buses, and non-driving senior citizen (60+) Town of Huntington residents who do not have access to transit services.

Paratransit hours of operation are: Monday through Friday 6:55 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:55 PM.

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