Paratransit Services began as part of the Kitsap Peninsula Housing and Transportation Association (KPHTA) in 1980. The Transportation Department was created through the consolidation of specialized transportation resources in Kitsap County, Washington. Several nursing homes, group homes, social service agencies, and community service agencies donated their vehicles to develop a pool of transportation resources. KPHTA employed the drivers, dispatchers, and staff to operate transportation services for the clients served by participating agencies. These coordinated services laid the groundwork for specialized public transportation in Kitsap County.

In July 1984 the KPHTA Board of Directors voted to separate the transportation section into its own nonprofit entity, and Kitsap Paratransit was formed. This new company continued to provide transportation services to people who had mobility impairments, and for Medicaid clientele through an agreement with the Washington State Division of Medical Assistance. In a 1989 report titled Best Practices in Specialized and Human Services Transportation Coordination, Kitsap Paratransit was called “one of the most successfully coordinated transit systems in the West.”

In 1986 we began providing Dial-A-Ride services in Clallam County, and two years later we began another transit operation in Pierce County. In recognition of the multi-county services that Kitsap Paratransit was providing, the corporation’s name was changed to Paratransit Services.

In addition to being the year that we officially became “Paratransit Services,” 1988 also marks a significant business milestone: it is the year that we established a pilot program for the State of Washington to demonstrate the brokerage system as a means of managing Medicaid transportation systems. This successful demonstration was the beginning of a new business venture for Paratransit Services and a new direction for the State of Washington. In 1990 the brokerage model was adopted statewide.

During the decade of the 1990s and continuing into the new millennium, we have remained on course to grow our company while maintaining our commitment to quality transportation services. We continue in our role as regional broker for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation for the State of Washington (we now cover nine western counties), and also operate public transit systems in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.