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twc@transportcenter.orgBelinda Herman — ACCESS to Independence Through Paratransit
Belinda Herman, ADA Eligibility Coordinator at ACCESS Transportation Systems in Pittsburgh, the paratransit provider for Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) with services for individuals with disabilities and adults 65 and older, shares her unexpected journey into paratransit and how her career’s personal and professional rewards have fueled her motivation for over three decades.
Moving Into a Lifetime Career
When she applied to be a bus operator for ACCESS Transportation Systems in 1992, Belinda Herman walked through a door that opened into a career she never saw coming — one she still hasn’t wanted to close. She held an associate’s degree in corrections with a concentration in criminology and figured this paratransit role would be temporary. “I thought, well, I’m only going to probably do this for about a year,” she says. Now she laughs at that assumption. “Thirty-three years later, I’m still here.”
At the start of her career as an ACCESS operator, Belinda transported riders with disabilities and older adults to their day programs or medical appointments. The role made her realize how much her own family could have benefited from the services she was now helping to deliver, since she grew up with parents who did not drive and an older sister with spina bifida. Belinda witnessed her sister’s challenges and barriers that prohibited her from everyday tasks, and her parents’ limitations in assisting her. “Back then, they didn’t have buses with ramps, or even school buses really didn’t have anything [to help],” she says.
Eventually, Belinda also helped schedule transportation for customers and dispatch operators. “I was doing the office part of the day and driving part of the day, and I did that for many years,” she says. Belinda then became an operations manager at another location where she was involved in hiring, before moving to the main ACCESS office as a planner in 2011, focusing on planning and trip orders.
In her current role as ADA Eligibility Coordinator, Belinda assesses ADA eligibility determinations. She expresses how “[o]ne of the most gratifying parts of employment in the paratransit industry has been knowing that I’m possibly helping somebody else, because my sister didn’t really have any [help]. It was hard back then. There was nothing near what we have now.”
Building Community, Supporting Independence
Belinda understands what paratransit has done for the communities it serves and how those services have evolved. “I think one of the reasons why I stayed [in paratransit] is because back when I started, other than ACCESS, there wasn’t any way for people to get around and have independence, and that was huge. They didn’t get to go to college because they had no way to get there. Families didn’t have vehicles. As a driver, I felt proud that I was able to help somebody do this, because most of our clients were people that had a disability, and that’s why they depended on it.”
Hitting even closer to home, Belinda also describes her nephew’s experience with ACCESS. He rides ACCESS to attend a day program, and his experience is not unlike many of its riders. “He looks forward to being able to use ACCESS… and my sister loves it because she doesn’t have to worry about him. She knows that he’s being taken care of on the vehicle.” Belinda emphasizes the independence that paratransit provides to her nephew and many others. “He’s not just sitting at home. I think that’s the biggest issue. Families feel their independence, too, because now they are able to go do something on their own that they weren’t able to do before.” She notes that many people don’t think about the multitude of needs paratransit serves because they don’t have challenges getting to critical appointments without a car or while dealing with a disability.
Belinda emphasizes that these services can impact communities beyond the assistance they provide, since customers can then fully contribute to their communities when they have access to resources and spaces like volunteer and employment opportunities. “These are things that every person should be able to do, and now that there’s transportation available, they can,” Belinda says.
A Bridge to Resources
The services Belinda delivers go far beyond transportation alone, and she prides herself on meeting her customers’ needs and serving as a bridge to resources. During enrollment meetings, she checks applicants’ health insurance to see whether it qualifies them for free transportation for medical trips, a service not everyone may know about. “Somebody can come in and say, ‘These are the services I need. I have a wheelchair, but I can’t get out of my house because I don’t have a ramp.’ Well, there’s somebody that can help you with that. It’s just wonderful that you can offer something to somebody that they need.” Belinda herself learned that there are many factors and solutions to paratransit challenges that one may not have known existed before.
At a recent eligibility assessment, Belinda calmed a girl who was having a rough day and helped her complete the application. A couple of days later, she received a call from the girl’s mother who said, “I want to thank you. You were just so patient with her. She felt comfortable enough that she was able to talk to you.” Interactions like this remind Belinda why paratransit matters and why she enjoys her role. She loves to see her community members happy and thriving.
Career Opportunities and Rewards
Regarding the skills required as a paratransit operator, Belinda emphasizes that “drivers have to be patient. They have to be able to work fast and safely.” She has also found that some riders who understand the nature of the work and the impact of the services start to see this as a potential career pathway that will work for them. They express interest in getting more involved, looking for opportunities to become an operator — an ongoing need at the organization — or to find employment within the office.
Belinda highlights the impact of community members learning about the industry and how it can help them reach various destinations and open up career opportunities. That pipeline starts early, with youth. PRT works closely with Pittsburgh Public Schools travel training programs to familiarize young people with transit for future independent use. PRT also collaborates with the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children and the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. “We’ll bring the kids over to the mobility center at our building to explore the bus, and it’s awesome to see their expressions when they are feeling or seeing it for the first time.”
A Career to Be Proud Of
Belinda praises her agency for its response to high demand after a recent bridge demolition: “PRT is doing an awesome job in getting people to where they need to go.” She appreciates that her organization has no trip limitations, so riders can handle any recreational, work, or medical matters they need to. “Things like that make me happy that I dug in and I got into this type of business because I do enjoy it. I like seeing people happy and getting up and doing what they want to do.” Belinda has found fulfillment in paratransit and public transportation, both in her own life and the lives of others. She has maintained relationships with people she met when she started, many of whom have also built long careers in the industry. She knows she and others can always rely on transit and paratransit services, which she uses for her daily commute to the office. Knowing that people are gaining newfound independence is a constant reminder of why Belinda herself continues to find satisfaction every day in her own career. “It’s very rewarding…, and I know that they’re appreciative of the services; you’re always there to help someone.”
This interview has been edited and adapted from a longer conversation with Belinda Herman.
To learn more about other workers’ experiences in the industry, visit the Transit Career Stories page and follow our series on inspiring transit career stories.
Published on Sept 17, 2026
