As with many other public transit agencies across the country, GoDurham Access, the ADA Paratransit service for the City of Durham, has faced COVID-related driver shortages and decreased multi-passenger capacity due to social distancing rules. While at the same time, facing increased demand for ADA paratransit service.

To prevent service degradation, GoDurham needed a way to quickly implement a solution to both challenges - more vehicles available for paratransit service and more drivers. Fortunately, working with National Express Transit (NEXT), GoDurham realized they could quickly implement a technology solution that could supplement both the GoDurham Access fleet of paratransit vehicles and their driver base.

NEXT provides on-demand, curb-to-curb or door-to-door paratransit service in cities and communities across the United States. Through investment in new technologies and a commitment to partnership with our clients, NEXT has a proven ability to manage and improve productivity and on-time performance in demand-responsive environments. Most importantly, NEXT has an intense commitment to safety throughout its operations and works to make sure all riders have a safe, consistent, and highly satisfactory experience.

In keeping with their promise of providing service excellence to its customers and passengers, NEXT tapped UZURV^® - the Adaptive Transportation Network Company (Adaptive TNC) - to quickly expand GoDurham’s ride options with a non-dedicated fleet of fully FTA compliant drivers.

NEXT and GoDurham received board approval of an agreement to add UZURV’s mobility platform as a supplemental service provider on 19 July 2021. UZURV then immediately began the process of recruiting a fully vetted and credentialed fleet of ​​independent contractor drivers who utilize their own vehicles to provide door-to-door paratransit service. All UZURV drivers passed Federal Transit Administration compliant background checks and complete drug and alcohol testing – both pre-service and random testing as required meeting all federal, state, and local requirements for operation as a supplemental service provider for GoDurham and NEXT.

On 9 September 2021 – just 50 days after the agreement was approved – UZURV service began in Durham. Just two weeks later, the program achieved its full target daily trip volume. And by the end of September, NEXT and GoDurham further expanded service hours with the UZURV network and increased daily program service volume to support 20% more trips per day than original expectations. NEXT was able to successfully leverage UZURV to provide GoDurham with flexible service that met and continues to meet the increased transportation needs of their passengers.

Additionally, GoDurham Access uses Ecolane, the scheduling and dispatch software, which supports direct integration with the UZURV API. The integration and ‘one-system’ approach provided a number of key benefits for NEXT, paratransit riders and GoDurham Access:

• NEXT dispatchers push trips to UZURV from within the Ecolane system and receive details of the completed trips back into Ecolane
• Riders are able to track their UZURV vehicle in real-time via the Ecolane mobile app
• Client reporting on UZURV and NEXT trips can all be done from within the Ecolane platform

“GoDurham Access is committed to a high level of service for our riders, and continually work with our partners to come up with innovative solutions to improve the rider experience,” said Brian Fahey, Transit Administrator at GoTriangle.

“The partnership with NEXT and UZURV has been a tremendous win for Durham. It provides a flexible option for us and aligns with our goal of continuing to increase rider satisfaction.”

UZURV supplemental service has had promising results. The average cost per trip has been 30% less than the previous sub-contractor and UZURV is achieving an average on-time percentage of 98.5% (within a 15-minute window). GoDurham reports that customers are overwhelmingly happy with the new service, especially visually impaired customers who enjoy the door-to-door nature of the service.