Paratransit is a vital service for those with disabilities, offering ADA-mandated door-to-door transportation to destinations like doctor’s offices, dialysis centers and senior centers. These trips often provide access to essential life services and allow individuals with mobility challenges to regain independence. Unfortunately, despite their importance, paratransit programs often struggle with a number of significant issues that impact riders and make the service difficult to operate efficiently. In addition to long wait times, limited visibility into booked rides and vehicle locations, and costly operating costs, ADA paratransit is also subject to a wide range of eligibility criteria. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides a means of compensating for gaps in fixed route public transit systems, but it requires that agencies carefully evaluate and validate their eligibility criteria to ensure they are providing equitable mobility options for eligible individuals.
The good news is that transit leaders can now click here for more leverage new technology to improve ADA paratransit operations and give riders the freedom and flexibility that they deserve. The same type of on-demand technology that has revolutionized the ride-hailing industry is now available for ADA paratransit.
With a mobile app, users can easily book and track their trip from any device. During the booking process, they enter key trip information, including their origin and destination, preferred travel time and any special requirements such as wheelchair accessibility. Once this information is entered into the system, an algorithm matches their request with available vehicles. Then, passengers receive a confirmation of their scheduled pickup and destination. In addition to the app, a comprehensive Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system automatically optimizes routes for each passenger and displays real-time arrival estimates.
The key to a successful paratransit program is that it must be flexible and responsive to changing demand. To address this, many agencies use software that enables them to redesign the routes for each ride on any given day and accommodate cancellations and last minute changes. Software systems also enable dispatchers to quickly locate and direct vehicles with GPS, ensuring that each trip is being delivered in the most efficient way possible.
To reduce operating expenses, some transit agencies use a commingled service model in which both ADA paratransit and microtransit share the same vehicle pool. This combines the scheduling engine and capacity optimization of a microtransit platform with the advanced features that are available to ADA paratransit riders, such as user-centric design, location tracking, dynamic routing and an intuitive interface.
In addition to the efficiency and affordability benefits of a commingled service, riders gain a sense of freedom that is often lost when they are locked into rigid schedules. Instead of having to plan their trip days in advance, a mobile app enables them to order their own ride as needed, with a two hour window. It’s the same type of flexibility that is enjoyed by users of a traditional fixed route public transit.