IntelliRide is a smart option: Innovative paratransit model by Veolia Transportation promotes quality of service and cost efficiency

摘要

With the passage of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) most aspects of our society have become much more accessible to people with disabilities. Greater numbers of people with disabilities are relying on public transit for travel to work, school, and their personal and professional business. Meanwhile, more baby boomers are trading their cars for seats on paratransit. The predictable result is that paratransit demand is on the rise. This rising demand, coupled with the ever-increasing employee, fuel, insurance and capital costs associated with the delivery of these services, are making the funding of paratransit one of the industry's most vexing challenges, and ultimately, I believe that without a fundamental alteration in the way we deliver service, the current paratransit model is economically and operationally unsustainable. There is an old paratransit axiom that says you can't have both cost-effective and high-quality service. Focus on cost, and you sacrifice quality. Focus on quality, and the price goes up.