First of all, what are paratransit services? Paratransit services are special public transportation programs offering flexible and door-to-door, otherwise curb-to-curb rides for people with disabilities, or those who cannot use standard fixed-route buses or trains.
Commuting is highly-difficult for these individuals, including seniors. Seventy-two-year-old Cynthia Aguilar, a retired accountant, but still works for clients remotely to provide for her daily needs, still finds herself commuting when arranging things with her clients, from the north of her city to the south. She doesn’t own a car, and finds it challenging to commute.
While trains in her country have the policy for passengers to give up their seats to seniors like Aguilar, she is hoping there will be paratransit services in her area.
This could be a pre-cursor. In Texas, the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority implements a policy and program for riders who use paratransit services so they spend less time waiting for the ride as indicated on their devices, and have more options when the authority’s vehicles are booked.
Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority is using and tapping Spare, in a three-year contract, which is a paratransit scheduling system that the agency already uses through a third-party provider.
According to David Chapa, the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority direct of MIS and capital initiatives, moving to a direct contract would give the agency better access to its data while lowering costs, thereby improving these services.
With this newest initiative, riders will find it easier and faster to look for rides to their destinations, such as a grocery store or a doctor’s appointment.
Now, the CCRTA has smaller paratransit cars that are already booked, so Chapa clarified that these would still be the primary option, but Lyft is helping to complete trips.
“The Uber and the Lyft element is only to make sure that if it’s full or all booked, then we use those types of services,” Chapa told RSF.
Chapa also added that the goal is to reduce the number of trips that cannot get accommodated due to the authority’s cars already being booked.
As for the most helpful feature, there is an AI-powered phone system that can help riders schedule a trip without waiting for an employee to respond. And, passengers who have trouble using the automated system would still be able to speak with a person.
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